Tangled Twins
by LunaFlower217
Summary: You know the story of Eugene and Rapunzel, but do you know the full story? They each had a twin sibling Flynn was the boy with the bad reputation, and Arabelle was the forgotten princess. Here is the complete story.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

This is the story of twin brothers whose names are Eugene and Flynn Fitzherbert. And their story starts with your average childhood – playing games, teasing each other, and celebrating their birthday – but the night before their 5th birthday, there was a fire. It had started as a small grease fire in the kitchen. The boys were fast asleep when suddenly they heard their mother screaming and telling them that they had to get up out of bed and get out of the house. Flynn took almost immediate action, got his brother out of bed, and they both ran out the door. When they managed to get a safe distance from the burning house, the boys stopped to take a breath. That's when they realized that they had run so fast and so far that they had no idea where they were.

"Flynn," Eugene asked. "Where are we?"

"I have no idea, Eugene. I was hoping you could tell me. At least we got away from the fire. Have you seen Mom?"

Eugene and Flynn both looked around. "No, I haven't," Eugene responded.

Flynn looked around again. "I'm scared, Flynn. What are we gonna do?" Eugene asked.

"Follow me," Flynn responded, "I will find us a place to spend the night." Flynn looked around again to try to decide which direction to go. "Let's go this way, Eugene."

After wandering for what seemed like forever to the two boys, they stumbled onto what appeared to be the remains of a campsite. It wasn't an old one, as the campfire was still smoldering, but there was no sign of anyone.

"Flynn, I'm tired. I can't walk anymore tonight. I need to sleep. Can't we just stop here tonight? It doesn't look like anyone is here. Please?"

"Fine. I think if we go get some more wood, we might be able to get the fire started again. It will keep us warm. Let's go see if we can find any," said Flynn.

The boys were able to find some wood, and made a small fire to warm themselves.

"Flynn, I'm hungry. What is there to eat?" Eugene asked.

"There are some berries over there that we can eat. I remember Mom saying they would be good to eat if we were ever hungry when we were out playing." Flynn responded.

"Ok. I guess that will be enough for now. Where will we sleep, though?"

"Eugene, I know you're scared, but I promise we will be ok. Let's just stay here by the fire tonight. Tomorrow morning we can try to find Mom again," replied Flynn exasperatedly.

The next morning, the boys were sleeping by the dying embers of the small fire they had built, when the captain of the palace guards came across them.

"What exactly are the two of you doing here by yourselves in the middle of the woods?" the captain asked.

The boys were very frightened and just looked at each other. Both of them too scared to talk at all, much less answer his question. Neither one wanted to talk and be the first to get in trouble for trespassing, as they both knew it was a crime to be in the woods after dark.

"It's all right children, no one will harm you. We just want to know why you are here, alone, instead of at home all nice and warm," the captain reassured them.

Flynn was the first to recover and responded in a low voice. "Our house was on fire last night. We ran to get away from it and got separated from our mom. Now we can't find our old house OR our mom. Now what's gonna happen to us, sir?"

"Flynn, I'm scared again," Eugene whispered.

"Don't be scared, Eugene. I think he's gonna help us," Flynn whispered back.

"Well, let's start with your names. What are your names, boys?" the captain asked.

"M-my name's Flynn and this is my brother Eugene. What's gonna happen to us?"

The captain looked at the two boys for a moment before answering. "I think I will take you home with me tonight. If your mother is going to be found, it should be soon. I don't think it will be a problem if you spend a few days with me and my family. In fact, I have a boy just about your age, maybe a few years older. Just how old are you two anyway?"

Eugene surprised everyone by responding to the captain's question himself. "We're five, sir. How old is your son?"

"My son, James, is eight years old. So do you have any other questions before we head to my house, boys?"

"D-do you think he will like us?" Eugene asked timidly.

"I think you will get along just fine. Shall we go?"

"Ok," said Flynn. "Come on Eugene," he whispered, "I'll take care of you."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Location: The Captain's House

"Eugene, Flynn, I would like you to meet my son James," the captain said.

"Who are they, Dad?" James asked.

"I found them in the middle of the forest this morning, James. They are going to stay with us for a little while. We are searching for their mother," his father responded.

"But, DAD," James complained.

"Don't you but Dad me, young man. You can keep them company and introduce them to your friends. Now go get your mother."

"MOM, DAD WANTS YOU," James yelled. "We're in the living room."

A few minutes later, the captain's wife walked into the room, looking around as if to see where the fire was.

"James, you know better than to yell across the house. You know the rules."

"I know, Mom. No yelling in the house. No running inside. Use manners."

"Honey, what is going on? Who are these boys?" the captain's wife asked.

"Ellen, I found these two boys in the middle of the forest this morning. There was a fire at their home last night. They ran to get away, but in the confusion, were separated from their mother. I thought they could stay here for a few days while we search for her," the captain responded.

"Of course, Henry," his wife responded. Then turning to the boys, "Oh you poor boys. You must be frightened not knowing anyone and worrying about your mother. Follow me and I will show you where you can sleep. Now which one of you wants to introduce the two of you?"

"M-my name is Flynn, and this is my brother Eugene. What is going to happen to us? What if you can't find our mom?"

"Well, hello Flynn. It's nice to meet you both. As to what will happen to you, we will take care of you for now. I am sure we will be able to find your mother in time. While you're here, you may call me Miss Ellen. I am sure you don't want to stay in the same room as James, so I will show you the guest room. There you will be able to think about what you want to do this evening. Did you ever do anything special with your mom when you were scared, hurt or sick to make you feel better?"

"Well, she would let us help bake cookies sometimes. If we were sick, she would let us have whatever we wanted until we started to feel better. Are you going to let us help you bake cookies, Miss Ellen?" Eugene asked.

"Absolutely, let's go bake some cookies, boys. What do you think of chocolate chip cookies?" Ellen responded, leading the boys away.

James was visibly upset. _So they think they are going to steal my parents while they're here, especially my mom? There is no way I am going to let them take her away from me,_ he thought to himself. _I'll show them who is boss._

The next morning, James was up early, even earlier than he usually was. He wanted to make sure that he could put his plan into place before the twins or his parents got up. He quietly got dressed and snuck out of the house, closing the door almost soundlessly behind him. He was off to meet his two best friends Matthew and Daniel. The boys are all around the same age, but James is about 6 months older than the others and has become the self-appointed leader of the trio. Because of his leadership, the others look to him to solve problems and so they are a little surprised when he has a problem of his own that he needs their help to solve.

"So what is so important that you had to wake us up this early, James? I mean, come on, it's barely dawn," Matthew asked him.

"Yeah, James, you said it was really urgent. What's so important?"

"My dad brought home twin boys last night. They're babies – just 5 years old. And they expect ME to play with them. They even expect you guys to play with them too. I mean really? I don't want to be a babysitter to a couple of babies," James replies frustrated.

"How bad could it be? It's just for a day or two right, James?" Daniel asked.

"I don't think it's just for a day or two, guys. I think it's gonna be for a lot longer than that. My dad wants to keep them around while he looks for their mom. He doesn't wanna send them to the orphanage unless there's no other option. He thinks he can find their mom soon. I think she ran away from them. They are SO annoying."

"So what are you gonna do, James" asked Matthew.

"I'm sure not gonna share my parents. I'm gonna do whatever I can to get rid of those babies. Here's what I think we should do. When I have to tell them where or when we are meeting, I am going to tell them the wrong time or the wrong place to meet. Like say tomorrow, we're gonna meet at Daniel's house after breakfast, but we're really gonna meet at Matthew's house after breakfast and chores. We keep doing this until they stop trying to make us play with them. Any questions?"

"Nope, sounds good," they both chorused.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Back at the Captain's house

"Henry, breakfast is ready. If you don't hurry you'll be late to work. On your way down, knock on the twins' door and let them know," Ellen hollered.

"Coming, my dear," the Captain responded. Then proceeded to walk to the twins' bedroom door and knock. "Boys, breakfast is ready. I'll see you downstairs."

"Have you seen James this morning, Henry? I knocked on his door a few minutes ago and didn't get a response. He is usually up by now, especially when I make pancakes for breakfast."

"Sorry, Ellen. I haven't seen him. I heard Flynn and Eugene making some noise as I was getting dressed, so I let them know breakfast is ready," Henry responded.

"Morning, Mom, Dad. Wow pancakes for breakfast. What's the occasion?" James asked as he sauntered in the back door.

"Where have you been this morning, young man?" his mother asked.

"Nowhere in particular, Mom. Just woke up really early so I took a walk."

"Really, James? And where exactly did you take a walk to before the sun was even up?" his father responded.

"Honestly, I didn't go anywhere in particular. Just went on a short walk around the neighborhood. It's not like I was in any danger."

"I'm sure you felt safe, even if you weren't really. Now go up and get washed up for breakfast. I'm putting it on the table now. Once you're cleaned up, go make sure that the twins are ready to come down," his mother ordered. "Oh, and James? You and your friends will be good company for the twins. I'm sure you can find suitable activities that the 5 of you can play while your father and the other guards look for their mother."

"Aww, Mom. Do I have to? They're just babies. My friends and I have better things to do than be babysitters."

"James, don't make me say it again. Now, move."

Grumbling the entire way, James headed upstairs and into the bathroom. After washing up, he knocked on the door to the twins' room and yelled, "Breakfast is ready and on the table. Time to come and eat." With that message left, James turned around and stomped back downstairs to eat his own breakfast.

Back downstairs, his parents were busy saying goodbye to each other before the Captain headed off to work. Without saying anything, James quickly grabbed a plate and started filling it. He set the plate on the table, then hurried back to get himself some milk as well. Just as he sat down to eat, Flynn and Eugene came downstairs.

"Flynn, Eugene. Good morning. Have some breakfast. James, need to make sure you get your chores done before you all head out to play. Boys, behave and I will see you tonight. Bye, Ellen." And with that, the Captain hurried out the door to begin his day.

"James, today you need to clean up your room first. Once that has been done, report to the stable master and he will assign your other chores. Flynn, Eugene, you will be cleaning up your room and report to me after you have finished so we can go over other things that you can do."

"Yes, Miss Ellen," the twins chorused. And after finishing their breakfast, cheerfully went off to clean their room.

"Ok, Mom. I'll go get my room straightened up so I can get started on the other chores. After I finish in the stable, can I go visit Matthew and Daniel?" James carefully asked permission, so it at least appeared that he was obeying the orders he had been given both the night before and earlier that morning before breakfast.

"I think that would be a great time to go and introduce Flynn and Eugene to your friends. Will you be playing at Matthew's or Daniel's today?"

"Um, actually I figure we can head to Daniel's house and pick him up. Then we will all head over to Matthew's. Not sure if we will be staying at Matthew's house or if we're going to go show them the good places to play in the town. I'll keep an eye on them though. Thanks, Mom."

After finishing the chores given, all three boys said goodbye to Ellen and left the house. As soon as they had gotten out of sight of the house, James turned to the boys. He grabbed each of them by the shirt to make sure they stopped to listen.

"I will introduce you to my friends, but I don't have to like it. Come on you babies," he egged them on to make sure they would follow.

Once back on the road, they stopped at Daniel's house. Daniel joined them and within minutes, they were back on the road, headed to Matthew's. Once at Matthew's house, the boys were ushered in by Matthew's mother as she went to make sure Matthew had completed his chores and was able to go play. Matthew had been waiting for them to get there, so he had made sure that his chores were done and he could leave.

"Oh, Matthew, don't forget to be back here in time for lunch at noon," his mother hollered as he headed out the door.

"Yes, Mom," Matthew responded. "I'll be back in time."

Again, they were back outside very quickly. The three older boys proceeded to take the twins on a short tour of the town.

"And here is the blacksmith. Up ahead you see the inn, and beyond that, the palace gates."

By the time the tour had been completed, short as it was, it was almost noon and the boys had to scramble to get back to their respective houses in time for lunch. Casually, the older boys decided to meet up at Matthew's house to play after lunch. As soon as the decision had been made, Flynn and Eugene turned and raced back to the house to eat.

"Man, you weren't kidding when you called them babies, James," Matthew whispered.

"I know. So do you guys want to meet at Daniel's or go play at the fort we built in the woods?" James asked.

"Hmm, let's play at my house today," Daniel responded. "Tomorrow we can play at the fort after breakfast. Sound good?"

"Yeah, sure. Let's do that." James and Matthew responded almost in unison. With plans set, the boys split for their homes and raced to make it home in time.

A short time later, the boys met up at Daniel's and were whispering quietly to keep anyone from hearing.

"That went good. Those babies are probably at your house now Matthew. Tomorrow, I'll tell them to meet us here after we finish our morning chores. Thanks for helping me, guys. I didn't want to play babysitter," James stated.

"Yeah. I wonder what they thought when they got to your house, Matthew, and found out we weren't there." Daniel said it almost as an afterthought.

"Who cares, let's just forget about them for a while," Matthew responded.

Meanwhile, Flynn and Eugene had just found out none of the boys were at Matthew's house.

"Flynn, what are we gonna do?" Eugene asked. "They sure don't seem to want us around."

"Nope," Flynn responded. "But that's ok. Follow me. We can find something to do ourselves. Maybe we can find some clues as to what happened to Mom after the fire. Let's go back to the house."

"Okay. I hope we find her soon. I miss her, don't you?"

So saying, the boys made their way back to the cabin in the woods. After looking around for anything they thought would be helpful, they looked up and realized it was getting late.

"Eugene, we better hurry back. It's almost dark. We don't want Miss Ellen to worry. If James and his dumb friends decide to give us the wrong information about where to go tomorrow, we will just come back here and keep looking."

"Okay, Flynn," Eugene readily replied. Turning around, the boys headed back to the captain's house.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next morning, as soon as his chores were finished, James made a point of telling the boys that he would meet them at Daniel's as soon as they were finished with theirs. Waving goodbye to his mother and the twins, he sauntered out the door and up the street.

After finishing their chores, the boys waved goodbye to Miss Ellen, and turned towards Daniel's house. Fortunately for James, they weren't worried about whether or not they met up with the others or not. Because while James and his friends were worried that they would have to babysit, the boys were worried about their mother. Nothing to them, was as important as finding her.

The twins walked to the door to Daniel's house and knocked on it. Upon asking about the others, they were told that they had gone to play in their fort for the day and had taken a picnic lunch. None of them were expected back until dinner. After thanking Daniel's mother for her time, the boys left. As soon as they were out of sight of the house, they plopped down and began talking.

"Well, Eugene. It looks like we are on our own again today."

"Yeah. So are we gonna tell Miss Ellen or the Captain about what James and his friends are doing?" Eugene asked.

"Nah. If they don't want us around, they are gonna have to do better than that. I figure we can just go hunting for Mom if they keep lying to us. I like Miss Ellen and the Captain. We can just use the time to hunt for clues as to what happened the night of the fire. Come on."

Having decided that they wouldn't worry about the older boys, Flynn and Eugene took off on their own to find clues as to what happened to their mom the night they had gotten separated. Sure enough, the older boys kept giving them false information. One day it was Daniel's house, the next it was Matthew's. Then it was on to meeting up at various places in the town. It went on like this for close to a week before the nice little scam James had started began to fall down around his feet.

"So tomorrow we are meeting up in front of the castle gates," James whispered conspiratorially. He didn't want his parents to hear and made it sound like they were headed on an adventure.

"Ok, James. If you want us to. Flynn, can we go? Please?" Eugene asked. He still wanted to be friends with James and his friends, but wasn't sure if Flynn had other ideas.

"Yeah sure. When are we meeting you tomorrow?" Flynn asked James.

"Tomorrow we will be meeting up at the palace gates around 1 – basically right after lunch. Don't be late."

"Great, sounds like fun. See you there," Eugene responded.

All five boys stuck close to home during the hours between morning chores and lunch. The twins were still apprehensive, but excited to possibly be getting to see the others after lunch. Finally it was time to go. James had already left, racing through his meal and taking off as soon as his mother allowed it. Flynn and Eugene finished eating a little slower than James had, but were shortly on their way as well.

At the palace gates, however, rather than seeing James, Matthew or Daniel, they saw a company of palace guards. Just as they were making their way back the way they had come, they heard a voice beckoning them to come. Turning back towards the gates, the boys saw the Captain calling them.

"What are you two doing here today?" the Captain asked.

"Oh um, we were gonna meet James and his friends here. I thought he said 1:00pm but I guess I heard wrong, Sir," Eugene replied.

"Flynn, what about you? Is that what you thought you heard too?"

"Yes, sir. That's what I heard," Flynn replied.

"Hmm," the Captain said, almost to himself. "Since they aren't here, what are you going to do?"

"Oh, um, we were just gonna go watch the guards practice for a while before going home."

"Uh-huh, and is this the first time that you have misheard them about when or where they were supposed to meet you?"

"Umm, well, you see.." Flynn began only to be cut off.

"Don't even bother lying to me. I can tell by the looks on your faces that it isn't. Ok go over there and watch the guards with the horses. I will take care of this," the captain ordered.

"Yes, sir," Eugene and Flynn answered simultaneously and ran off.

That evening at home, after the twins had been tucked in, Henry and Ellen sat down to talk. Neither were happy with what had been happening and didn't realize that James had found a way to get around the orders he had been given. After a short discussion, they decided that they would wait on punishment until they had had more of a chance to talk to the boys. Heading to bed, after getting everything ready for the next day, Ellen paused beside the door to the twins' room. Before she could decide whether or not to enter, she began to hear whispers going back and forth between them. Deciding it was best not to interrupt, she stayed and listened to see what else she could find out.

"Flynn, I miss Mom. I know she had to have had something really cool planned for our birthday, but she never got to show us. I hope we find her soon."

"I know, Eugene. I miss her too. At least we didn't end up staying in the forest for our entire birthday. And next year our birthday has to be better than this. By then, I'm sure we will have found Mom."

"You really think so?" Eugene asked hopefully.

"Yeah. Besides, having the Captain find us really early the morning of our birthday has been better than being stuck on our own in the woods. Glad we didn't have to sleep there for a second night. The first one was scary enough."

"Scary? Were you scared Flynn?" Eugene asked.

"Well yeah, I get scared too. I guess I just hide it better," Flynn said. "We better get to sleep before Miss Ellen or the Captain hear us. Goodnight, Eugene."

"Goodnight, Flynn," Eugene responded, and rolling over, went to sleep.

Very quietly, Ellen turned and went to find her husband. Punishment was due, and she had the perfect solution.

"Henry, I just overheard the most interesting thing."

"Oh yeah, what's that, Ellen?"

"Well, it appears you didn't just save two 5 year old boys a week ago. You rescued them on their actual birthday," Ellen responded.

"Seriously? I'm even gladder I found them, now. But what are we going to do about our son?"

"I have an idea, one that finding out about the twins' birthday seems to be the perfect solution. It will punish James for disobeying, and yet celebrate the twins' lives as well."

Intrigued, Henry asked for details and was soon engrossed in the idea of forcing James to assist in planning a party and buying gifts for a set of 5 year old twin boys. The morning would, however, be soon enough to put the plan in action. After a few more minutes of planning, the couple had the basics of a party idea.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The next morning when the boys were called down to breakfast, instead of being told what their chores were for the day, they were told that they would be enjoying a relaxing day at home. After breakfast, they went upstairs to play. James – dawdling as usual while eating breakfast, however, was told he would be doing the twins' work, as well as his own.

"James, as soon as you finish eating breakfast, doing your chores and cleaning up the boys' room, you need to head over to your friends' houses and let them know that they are invited to a party here Saturday afternoon at 1," his mother told him.

"A party, really? Cool," James responded. "What for?"

"The party is to celebrate Flynn's and Eugene's birthday. The day they came to stay with us was their birthday. I know it's a little late, but I thought it would be a nice gesture for all of us to throw a party for them. You and your friends will come. And if you DON'T invite them, I WILL know, James. I'm heading over this evening to invite their parents. So don't think you can get out of this. Oh, and James, you also need to think figure out what you can spend your allowance on for a present each of the boys," his mother ordered.

"Awww, Mom" James complained. "That's not fair. I don't even know them all that well. How am I supposed to pick out presents for them?"

"I'm sure you will be able to come up with something, James. You certainly worked hard enough to avoid spending time with them when I specifically told you to, remember? I know you deliberately disobeyed me. If you hadn't you would know them quite a bit better now. That's something you will have to figure out on your own, and you better come up with something good. Don't avoid it like you did the last thing I told you to do. Got that?" his mother asked him.

"Yeah, Mom. I got it," James grumbled. "I'll go talk to Matthew and Daniel as soon as I finish these stupid chores." He mumbled the last under his breath, barely loud enough to be heard. Fortunately for James, his mother had already left the room, confident that this time he would actually obey her.

Unfortunately for James, Saturday came quickly. By this time, the boys were starting to get some idea that something was up, but they didn't know what.

"Miss Ellen, what's going on? Everybody is acting strange today, even you. Is something gonna happen?" Eugene asked.

"Eugene, how would you like to have a birthday party?" Ellen asked.

"A birthday party? For me and Flynn? That would be really cool. When would it be? Do you need help planning it?"

"It's already planned, Eugene. You can go tell Flynn that the party is this afternoon. Instead of just having lunch, we are having Matthew and Daniel and their parents over. There will even be cake and presents. So you can run along and tell him while you finish up your morning chores," she told Eugene lovingly.

"Oh, wow. Flynn is gonna be surprised." Eugene raced off yelling for his brother, "FLYNN. WHERE ARE YOU? YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS!"

"I'm right here, Eugene. What are you screaming for? Geez."

"Flynn, they are throwing us a birthday party. Miss Ellen and The Captain are throwing us a birthday party. They found out we had a birthday the day we were rescued and decided to throw us a belated birthday party. Aren't you excited?" Eugene asked.

"Really?" Flynn asked, hardly able to believe it himself. "They don't know us, and we've only been here a week. When is it gonna be?"

"The party is today. There's gonna be cake and presents and everything. James and his friends, Matthew and Daniel will be there with their parents, too," Eugene told him.

"And there's the catch," Flynn said. "We know James and his friends don't like us."

"It'll be fun anyway, Flynn. Come on, let's go do our chores so we can have the party. Miss Ellen said it's gonna be after lunch."

With that proclamation, the boys set off to get their chores done in record time. Neither of them wanted to spend any more time than was absolutely necessary doing them. When chores were done, the boys were asked to go play in the backyard while final preparations were made for the party.

Finally, it was time for the party. Just before 1, the twins were called inside to get cleaned up. The Captain was home early from work. James had completed his assigned task of getting presents for the boys – although he refused to tell anyone what he had gotten them, and Miss Ellen had baked a cake.

The cake was cooling on the counter in the kitchen and delicious smells were coming out of various pots and pans when James's friends arrived with their parents. Matthew and Daniel were quick to say "hi" and "Happy Birthday" to the twins before disappearing with James into his room until they were called for lunch. Soon, lunch was over and it was time for presents. No one was quite ready for dessert.

"Okay, boys. Let's go into the living room and open those presents."

"Oh, boy. Come on, Flynn," Eugene said taking off at a run.

"I'm coming," Flynn hollered back running after him.

Seeing the mound of presents set up for each of them, the boys barely managed to wait until everyone was in the room before they asked if they could start opening them. One by one the mound of unopened presents disappeared and the boys became even more excited – if that was possible.

"WOW, a sword, Eugene. Thanks, James. This is really cool. I love it," Flynn said.

"It was nothing," James responded. "Besides, Matthew and Daniel helped me."

"I got one, too. Thanks. It's really cool. We can fight each other to practice. Bet I beat you first, Flynn," Eugene told him.

"Yeah, right," Flynn responded.

"So what else do you have there?" The Captain asked.

The twins continued opening gifts to find two stuffed horses – both stunningly white. Flynn liked his, but Eugene was the one who was really excited about the gift of the stuffed horse.

"Flynn, isn't it pretty? I'm gonna name mine Max. What are you gonna name yours?"

"I don't know what I'm gonna name mine yet, Eugene. I just got it and I haven't thought about it yet. I'll tell you when I do, ok?"

"Ok."

"Now that we have finished opening the presents, I have a surprise for the birthday boys. I have set up a tour of the castle and castle grounds," The Captain announced.

"But, Dad, what about me?" James asked.

"You can stay home and help your mother clean up from the party. If you don't like that, you should have thought about that before disregarding what your mother and I asked you to do," the Captain responded.

"What about me?" asked Daniel. "Can I go?"

"And me," Matthew chimed in. "I want to go too."

"I'm sorry, Daniel, Matthew. You two can either go home with your parents or help James clean up after the party."

"Why can't we come?" Matthew asked.

"Yeah, why not?" asked Daniel.

"Since the three of you worked together to keep Flynn and Eugene out, then you can work together to clean up or go home. None of you deserve a treat – and getting a tour of the castle and the grounds would definitely count as a treat. So what will it be? Stay here and clean or go home?"

Matthew and Daniel looked at each other and then looked at their parents. It didn't take them long to figure out that going home would probably mean they would end up doing more than just cleaning up after a party. Their response that they would be staying to help clean up was almost simultaneous. Neither wanted to go home and see what their parents would do to them for conspiring against two little boys.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Soon, the Captain and the twins were off to the castle. The captain was silent while he led them but Eugene and Flynn were chattering back and forth excitedly.

"Flynn, can you believe we're really going to the castle? We get to see the palace horses and everything. I can't wait to see the stables. Won't that be neat? I love horses. Aren't you excited?"

"Yeah, this is gonna be great. I bet we get to see the throne room and the palace treasure. Maybe even get to try some of the food here. This is neat. Thanks for bringing us here, Captain." Flynn was quick to make sure he thanked him, not wanting him to think that they weren't grateful.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks for the party and everything," Eugene piped up. "It was really cool. And this is awesome. I can't wait to see the horses."

The captain smiled. "You're both welcome. Now come on, we're here. What would you like to see first?"

"The stables and the horses," Eugene said.

"The throne room," Flynn said at the same time.

"Boys, we can't go to both at the same time, and we aren't going to split up. How about we just start here and move on? I think we can stay here for a bit, but be careful not to get too dirty. We don't want to track dirt into the palace."

"YAY!" Eugene yelled. "I love horses! I can't wait. Which one is yours?"

"The horses are this way. Follow me." Leading the twins down an aisle, he motioned to the stalls on either side. "Here are the horses that the palace guards use. If you look on the small plaque by the door, you will see the name of the horse. My horse is named Arion and he is the first one there on the right. The rest of the horses are used by the other guards. The mares that they breed them with are in the other barn. Would you like to see those as well?"

"Well, yeah, but I wanna spend more time here first. I want to look at these. Oh, wow, I never knew that your horse was all white. He is so pretty. What will happen when he's too old to ride?" Eugene responded as he walked down the aisle gazing lovingly at each of the horses in turn and stopping occasionally to nuzzle or pet some as he went along.

"That's when we breed them and raise new horses for the palace guards to use. Each of the guards have their favorites and most use just one horse unless he gets hurt or sick. Now, are you ready to go see the mares?" The captain led them to the smaller stable where the mares were located. The mares were just as beautiful to Eugene, although smaller than the stallions.

"Wow, these mares are beautiful. Do they have to stay in the barn all the time, Captain? Or do they get to go out and be ridden some times? I don't think they would like to be stuck inside all the time." Eugene was positive that the mares would want to be outside and ridden just as much as the horses that the guards rode.

"Of course they aren't stuck in the barn or stable all the time. They are ridden for exercise and they get to go out into the pasture every single day unless it is raining. They eat the grass there. They enjoy fresh grass instead of just eating hay and oats all the time. Occasionally, we give them treats like apples."

Finally, the tour of the mares' stable was complete and the boys were ready to see the palace.

"This is the reception room, boys. This is where the people come when they have problems that they need to speak with the king and queen about. They wait out here until they are announced and then they are escorted into the throne room so they can present their case." The captain explained.

"Wow, so if I was a grownup I could just come in and wait to be announced and just walk in and talk to them?" Flynn asked.

"Well, not exactly. You first have to make an appointment with his assistant. The assistant's office is over here. I don't think anyone is in there though. Take a look though. You can see his desk and calendar is very full."

"It's just a regular room," Eugene and Flynn said at the same time again.

"We wanna see the real castle. Not this stuff. What about the portraits or the throne room itself or any of the bedrooms or the dining room and the KITCHEN. I want to see where they eat and stuff." Eugene was adamant that he wanted to see the rooms but Flynn was curiously silent. The captain noticed a look pass between the boys but couldn't interpret what it meant.

The boys were indeed looking at each other. The looks seemed to say something, too. Flynn looked at Eugene. _I want to see the treasure room, but I don't want him to know how bad I want to see it._

Eugene looked back at him. _I can make it seem like it's just that we want to see the whole castle, not just the boring stuff like the king's assistant's room._

Flynn looked back. _That would be good. Why did you say the kitchen like that?"_

Eugene's look spoke volumes. _I want to see how they eat. Maybe we can get a snack or something._

Flynn's last look was exasperated. _Whatever, let's go. I want to see those other rooms._

"So what room are you going to show us first, Captain? Will it be the bedrooms or the portraits or what?" Flynn asked almost innocently.

Obliviously, the captain responded, "Why don't we go take a look at the portraits? After that we can circle up to the bedrooms that are open to viewing and then around to the dining area and the kitchen. Sound good?"

"Yeah," chorused the boys.

Trudging along, the headed up to see the portraits, as the kingdom was a small one, and somewhat newly created, the portraits consisted only of the king and queen. No other portraits were hung, although there was space for many more in the huge gallery.

"Eugene, Flynn, have you ever seen the king or queen before? Or even just their pictures?" The captain was quick to ask this before they reached the spot the pictures were hung on the far side of the gallery.

"No," the children chorused. "We've never seen anything about them. We only know what our mom used to tell us." Both boys were curious as to why the captain was asking them this but didn't have time to wonder long as they reached the portraits.

"Here they are, boys. The king and queen of Corona." The captain slid a nervous glance around, making sure the boys didn't see.

"I never knew they were so young. They look like they could have a kid my age." Eugene mused.

"They have no children as of yet. They have only been married for a short time. I'm sure in time they will have a child or two."

The boys weren't exactly thrilled with the portraits and soon were ready to move along and see other rooms in the palace. "This is nice and all but I wanna see the cool stuff. Where do they live? Come on." Flynn was bored with what he saw, but didn't want to cause trouble. "Can we please go see the other stuff now?"

"Okay, okay, boys. I did get permission to go take you to see the bedrooms in the palace. Follow me." The captain led the boys down the hall and up a staircase. "The bedrooms are down this way. The king and queen's bedroom is here." The captain stopped in front of a door. "You can open the door, Flynn. Take a look. See where they sleep."

Flynn cautiously opened the door. He was curious, but almost frightened at the same time. He was almost scared of being disappointed. As he opened the door, he gasped. "They don't really live all the different from anybody else! They have a regular bed. They have fancy bedding, but it's just a bedroom. It's kinda hard to believe."

"I know. I thought they were gonna have a fancy bed and all sorts of stuff. Not like this. It's kinda weird." Eugene agreed with his brother.

"I thought you would be surprised by what you saw, but you aren't disappointed are you?" The captain asked.

"No!" chorused the boys. "We just didn't know it would be like this."

"Well, are you ready to see more? We still have the kitchen, the throne room, dining hall, and the kitchen. Ready to move on?"

"Yeah! Let's go!"

The boys followed the captain back down the hall and together they entered the throne room. There they saw the thrones, but they were both empty. Neither the king nor the queen were in the room. However, they got a clear view of the thrones and a beautiful skylight directly above.

"Awww, I thought we were gonna get to see the king and queen." Flynn said.

"Let's go see the kitchen. Do you think we could get a snack, Captain? I'm getting hungry." Eugene said earnestly.

"Why don't we go find out? Come on, boys." The captain led the way towards the kitchen. The twins trailed behind him, going much slower now that they were again getting hungry. The birthday lunch they had had was just a distant memory now. It had actually been almost 4 hours since they had eaten.

When they entered the kitchen, the boys couldn't believe their eyes, there was non-stop movement. The cook saw them and immediately came over to say hello. "Captain, are these the two you were telling me about? The ones who had a birthday not long ago?"

"That's us!" Eugene exclaimed. "You told her about us? Why would you tell her about us, Captain?"

The captain smiled. "I just told her that I would be bringing you two through here on a tour of the palace. So, Cook, do you think you could get a small snack together for these two hungry little boys?"

"I think that could definitely be arranged, Captain. Do you want to take them into the main dining hall? I can have the staff bring the food in there. Maybe I can find something for dessert as well. How does that sound?"

"Yay! Dessert! Come on, Flynn!" Eugene almost dragged Flynn along as he followed the captain out of the kitchen into the dining hall.

As the twins entered the dining hall, they realized that there were already people at the table. At first they weren't sure who it was, but soon, they figured out just who was waiting for them.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Oh you must be the boys we've heard so much about." the Queen said to the twins. Eugene and Flynn were so shocked neither could speak. Once they recovered from their surprise, they looked to the Captain for an explanation.

"What? How?" they said simultaneously.

"Well, I was talking to one of the other guards about your upcoming party and Her Majesty overheard some of it and decided to provide you with her own present." With a sweeping bow to the Queen, the Captain stepped back and presented the boys. "As I'm sure you've guessed by now, this one is Flynn," the Captain said with his hand on Flynn's shoulder. "And the quiet one over here is his brother Eugene."

"It's a pleasure meeting the both of you," the King finally spoke up with a smile. "As you may know, I am King Geoffrey of Corona and this beautiful woman is my wife Queen Adelaide of Corona."

Feeling nervous Eugene stammered, "I-it's n-nice to m-meet you." Then he turned to his brother for assistance.

Quickly picking up on it Flynn added, "We've never met royalty before."

Queen Adelaide was quick to assure both of them, "That's quite all right, boys. We're just normal people who happen to be King and Queen."

Eugene looked up, "R-really? W-what kind of things do you like to do?"

"I like horses, Eugene. And from what Henry here tells me, you do too," Queen Adelaide told him.

"Well, I—" he started to say as he turned red, embarrassed at the attention.

King Geoffrey spoke up. "And Flynn, I hear you two lost your mother not long ago. I too lost my mother when I was quite young."

"What happened, King Geoffrey?" Eugene asked timidly.

"Well, she died when I was seven years old."

"She died?" Flynn gasped.

"Yes, she got smallpox when an epidemic swept through our village."

"That's so sad." Eugene replied.

Queen Adelaide was the one to respond this time. "Yes, it is. Unfortunately, I was young when my parents passed away as well. Although I was older than all of you. I was eleven when both of my parents died in a carriage accident."

"Wow. We're sorry that happened." the boys chorused.

Eugene looked at Flynn for reassurance. _But our mom is just lost, right, Flynn? She isn't dead, is she?_

 _Of course not, Eugene. She just got lost because of the fire. I bet she is looking for us, too._ Flynn was quick to reassure Eugene, even though he had his own reservations about whether or not they would ever find their mom.

 _Are you sure, Flynn? I miss her a lot. I hope we find her soon. You look worried._

 _Yes, I'm sure we will find her._ Once again, he reassured Eugene. Flynn had his own worries though. He knew he had to keep Eugene believing that they would find her, but he was beginning to think that they might never find her.

 _What will happen if we don't find her, Flynn? I'm scared._

 _You know you don't have to be scared. I will always be here to protect you._ Flynn had a strange feeling he was going to have to take care of him for a long time, but knew he couldn't tell Eugene that because he would lose all hope of finding their mother. He knew that one of them had to face the reality that they might never find her, but he wanted Eugene to at least be able to hang on to a slim hope that they might find her sometime in the future.

 _You promise, Flynn? You won't ever leave me to face things by myself?_ Eugene timidly asked.

 _You know I would never leave you. You're my brother, my twin. We will always be together. Us two against the world._

The entire exchange had only taken moments, and not a single word had been spoken, but volumes had been said. As the boys looked back to the King and Queen, Eugene said, "As far as we know our mother's only lost not dead."

"Be that as it may, we still know how you feel right now. For now, that's enough sad stories. I bet the two of you are hungry, aren't you?" the Queen asked trying to distract the boys from the ongoing issue of their missing mother.

"They just ate before we came, Your Highness. They even had cake," the Captain answered.

"That may be, Henry, but these are growing boys. They get hungry fast. You should know that. You were young once," King Geoffrey admonished. "So are you two hungry?"

"Yeah," chorused Eugene and Flynn.

"I think we should do something about that. Don't you, Geoffrey?" Queen Adelaide responded.

"Oh, yes, my dear. What a splendid idea. Why don't the two of you join us for dinner? Does that sound good, boys?" King Geoffrey asked.

"Oh, boy!" Eugene hollered.

"Food!" Flynn said excitedly.

The captain chuckled, "I guess we will be staying for dinner then, Your Majesties. Thank you for the invitation."

"YAY!" the boys chorused again.

The Queen signaled a servant and soon they were all seated at the table, enjoying the first course. The boys enjoyed soup, then a nice roast. Once they had finished eating they looked back at the King and Queen.

"Thank you for inviting us to dinner, Your Majesty," Eugene said politely. "It was delicious." He looked back at the Captain. "Is it time to go home now?"

The Captain could tell that neither boy really wanted to leave, but were trying not to be rude. Before he could say a word, however, the Queen stepped in. "Of course it's not time to leave. There is more to see. Would you like to see what kind of things we eat for dessert?"

Eugene and Flynn looked at each other for a split second before responding, "YES!"

Once again, the Queen signaled a servant and food was delivered. This time, the boys could hardly believe what they saw. A huge chocolate cake was brought out, followed by several pastries. "I hear you two had a birthday a short time ago, so I thought we could have a nice cake to celebrate with you. Does that sound like a good idea, boys?"

For once, both Eugene AND Flynn were speechless. They nodded vigorously. It was a few minutes before either of them could speak. Flynn recovered first, "Thank you. We never expected to celebrate since we can't find our mom."

"Boys your age should always have a celebration for their birthday. I'm sure your mother would agree if she were here. I am grateful to be given the opportunity to help you celebrate this year. You two are wonderful boys." King Geoffrey was a bit formal in his response.

This time the captain spoke up before he could be stopped. "It is getting late, boys. We should be heading back. You should be in bed soon." The boys trudged off to gather their coats and hats before leaving and the captain looked back at the King and Queen. "Your Majesties, I thank you for the time and attention you showed my charges. I'm afraid we haven't been able to find even a trace of their mother. My son causes constant friction with the boys and unfortunately, I think it will be in their best interests to put them in the orphanage. I don't think I can keep them in my home much longer without causing serious problems."

"I think you have done more than could have been asked of you, Captain. We will make sure that the orphanage has beds for those two, and we will make sure that they are paid enough to cover the expenses of two growing boys. They shouldn't lack for anything there." The queen spoke softly but was adamant that they would be happy even if they had to live in the orphanage.

"Thank you again. I don't know what I would have done if they had no room. I am afraid they would come to harm if I kept them with me, and I was so hoping that James would get along with them. They are extremely courageous boys." The captain sighed. It was time to let go. "I will head home. When do you want me to deliver them to the orphanage, Sire?"

"I believe that going sooner might be easier on them. Not only will they have more time to adjust before the holidays, but they will not have any more time to grow more attached to you and your wife." Queen Adelaide responded.

"As always, Your Majesty, your advice is impeccable. I believe I will take them tomorrow if possible. That way they can settle in well before Christmas."

Unbeknownst to the occupants of the room, the boys had come back, ready to leave. When they heard the captain speaking in low tones with the King and Queen, they hesitated to enter. That hesitation allowed them to overhear the majority of the conversation.

 _Flynn, they're gonna abandon us. What do we do?_

 _Don't worry, Eugene. We'll be ok. He said he was gonna take us to a place called an orphanage. Whatever that is._

 _Maybe it's a place where they drop off and abandon motherless boys. I'm scared, Flynn._

 _We'll be ok. At least we're together. As long as we're together, everything will work out._ Flynn wasn't about to tell Eugene just how worried he was about being left in a strange place where he didn't know anyone at all. He had just barely begun to be comfortable staying in the Captain's house. _Leave it to James to mess up everything._

 _Just when we were starting to be happy, too._ Eugene responded.

Flynn shot an angry glance at the door leading to the dining hall. _I guess we know why the Captain went to so much trouble for our birthday now. He just wanted to try to do something nice before leaving us for good._

 _No, I think he really cares, Flynn. But James causes a lot of trouble. He doesn't like us, remember? Maybe it would be different if he did like us. Maybe then the captain wouldn't want to get rid of us._

Before the boys could say anything else, the Captain stepped out of the dining hall. "There you are. Are you all set to go? We should leave before it gets dark. I know Ellen is probably starting to worry. We best hurry." Without a murmur of things to come, the captain led the way and the trio trooped home.

The next morning, the Captain called the boys downstairs. "We have searched everywhere for your mother. I am sorry but we have not been able to locate her. Because James is so unhappy with you here, we are unable to have you stay. We have set it up for you to go to an orphanage. After breakfast, we will gather your things and head there."

"But what's an orphanage?" Eugene asked.

"An orphanage is where boys and girls who have no parents go. When you lose your parents, even if they are still living, but just lost. We have arranged for you to stay there until your mother can be located. There are many other children there. You will be happy, I am sure."

"Will we ever see you again?" Flynn asked.

"Yes, Ellen and I will stop by the orphanage occasionally to see you. Would you like that?"

Eugene and Flynn nodded. "Yes, we want to see you again."

Breakfast was a somber affair. No one was in a talkative mood. The boys were still thinking about everything they had heard the night before and what they had been told this morning. Neither of them wanted to even think about living somewhere else. Both of them missed their mother as well. Once finished eating, they cleaned their plates one last time, and headed to get their bags, each containing the small amount of clothing and toys they had been given since arriving at the house.

 _Just think of this as an adventure,_ Flynn told Eugene with a look. _We'll be ok._

 _I know. It's just…_

 _I know, it's hard to keep moving on, without having Mom around, but don't lose hope. I know we will find her._

 _I know, because we won't give up until we do. Thanks for helping me feel better, Flynn._

 _That's what I'm here for. You would do it for me._

With that, the boys waved goodbye to Ellen and James. They followed the Captain out of the house and down the street. It was a short walk to their destination and soon they were standing before the orphanage. The Captain gathered both boys close for a quick hug. Then they entered the orphanage. The orphanage was run by an efficient woman, by the name of Anne.

The woman wasn't mean, but she wasn't particularly kind either. She made sure that the children were fed and clothed, but she wasn't concerned with whether or not their emotional health was seen to. After a short introduction, the captain told them goodbye, and the boys turned to the door of the main part of the orphanage.

 _Here goes nothing._ Flynn thought to himself. The two boys left the room, entering the orphanage, hoping they were ready for whatever the orphanage had in store for them.


	8. Chapter 8

Once the Captain left the orphanage, the boys were shown to their room. Although there had been no issue while the Captain had been there, as soon as he left, the boys shut down.

"Follow me boys. Your room is this way." Anne stated. She led the twins down a long corridor on the 2nd floor. At the end of the hallway, she turned to the last door on her right. "This is your room. You will be sharing with another boy, as well. You will meet him after dinner, he isn't here right now. Listen for the bell to let you know when lunch is. Each meal is announced with a bell. If you do not get to the dining hall within 15 minutes of the bell going off, then you will have to wait until the next meal to eat. We do not cater to individual wants. You must eat when the rest of the orphanage eats. Understand?"

"Yes, Miss Anne," Flynn and Eugene chorused.

"Very good, children. I will see you at lunch, then." With that, Anne left the room and the boys were soon left alone with their worries, wondering just what type of boy they would be sharing the small room they had been given with.

 _Are you sure we'll be okay Flynn?_

 _Positive. Besides no matter what happens we'll always have each other. Now are you going to tell me what's been bothering you since the Captain left? You seem a lot quieter than usual._

 _I've just been wondering whether or not we'll be in the same situation as we were with James and his friends. It was hard enough then but now that the Captain's not here it seems that we're on our own again. I don't know what we're gonna do. What's gonna happen if we're treated worse by the kids here than we were by James? Who's gonna stop it and keep it from happening again? Miss Anne hardly looked at us since we've been here especially since the Captain left. And he's been gone a long time._

 _I know, Eugene. But you know I would never let anything happen to you. We will look out for each other, ok?_

 _Yeah, I know. What do you think our roommate is like?_

 _I don't know but if he's anything like James we won't have an easy time as long we're here. I can only imagine the little party he and his friends are throwing now that we're not gonna bother them anymore._ Looking away from his brother he added to himself, _And if he's worse than James he better not expect me to just sit back and watch as Eugene gets worse physically or emotionally. He better expect me to defend my brother till the very end and if that means I get into a fight or two defending Eugene then so be it._

 _Flynn, are you okay? You seem mad about something._

Turning back to Eugene he quickly got over his anger and reassured him that he was fine and that his thoughts were just going back to James. _But don't worry he won't bother us here and neither will his friends._

 _I know you won't let anybody hurt me, I'm worried about you though._

 _Don't worry about me._ Just as Flynn was about to continue his reassurance of Eugene, the bell rang for lunch. _Come on, Eugene. Let's go eat._

Eugene followed his brother back down the hall and down the stairs. The dining hall was at the rear of the building, just about directly below the twins newly assigned bedroom. The twins entered to silence – all of the other kids stopped talking the minute they opened the door.

Eugene glanced at Flynn. _Um, now what? I'm really worried things are gonna turn out bad._

 _Let's get it over with. We'll never know if it's gonna turn out good or bad if we don't._ Flynn's response didn't show his own apprehension. Slowly, without saying a word, the twins walked to the line and were each given a plate of food. Turning around, Flynn scanned the room. He spotted a small, empty table in the back. _See the table in the back, there? It's the only table in the entire room that is completely empty. Let's sit over there. That'll give us a chance to see what everybody is like before we have talk to them._

 _Sounds good._

Once the boys had sat down, talking resumed in the hall. One by one, the tables resumed their conversations. Although many of the conversations revolved around the newest occupants of the orphanage, neither boy heard any of it. They were much too wrapped up in their own misery. Lunch was a mercifully short affair and after cleanup, the orphans had a few hours of free time. The twins decided to give themselves a tour.

 _Wonder what kind of stuff they have here to do other than work all the time. I want to learn how to read, Flynn. I know Mom was gonna teach us soon. I think she said she would start teaching us on our birthday – but then the fire happened and we lost her. Do you think they have someone here that can teach us?_

 _I bet they do. I wanna learn how to read too. We can go anywhere in our imagination though. Remember? Mom taught us that. You remember don't you?_

 _Yeah. I miss her, Flynn. Will we ever see her again?_

 _Of course we will. Now let's go see what else they have to do around here._

As usual, Flynn was the leader. Eugene trailed after him. Within minutes, they had located the library – full of all sorts of books, including some picture books – the classrooms, and of course, the kitchens.

Eugene looked at his brother. _Now we know where to go if we ever get hungry. Do you think we can come and sneak food if we go out searching for Mom too?_

 _Oh, yeah. I will be the one to sneak it out though. I don't want you to get in trouble._

 _Ok. When do you want to go look for her? I miss her a lot._

 _I don't know yet. Let's wait until we know what the people here are like. That way, we can make sure we don't get caught when we go._

 _Ok. Let's go look around some more._

The boys continued their exploration of the orphanage. They even scouted out the best ways out of the orphanage to go searching for their mom.

Eugene looked at his brother. _So what do you think, Flynn? Do you think we will be ok here?_

 _Of course we will, Eugene. You know I won't let anything happen to you. Besides, we won't be here forever. We'll find Mom soon._

Trusting in his brother as always, Eugene grinned. "I bet our roommate is nice. He can't be any worse than James was, can he?"

Flynn hesitated before answering, not wanting to worry Eugene. "I don't think he can be worse than James and his friends. Besides we got through that ok. We even got to have a meal with royalty. Nobody here got that, not even James and his friends."

"Yeah, you're right. Wanna go climb the trees around the stable in back?" Eugene asked. Even though the orphanage relied on donations from the wealthier people in the neighborhood, there was a small stable of horses that the orphans could share behind the main building of the orphanage.

"That'll be fun. Let's go."

With that, the boys trudged off, wondering what the future held. The twins then climbed the trees, where they stayed the bell rang dinner.


	9. Chapter 9

_Yay! Food!_ Eugene was excited. Not only would he get to eat, but he was sure he would meet the other kid that was to share the room with them.

Flynn was less enthusiastic, but just as hungry. _Let's go eat._

The boys joined the others for dinner. Looking around, they noticed that Miss Anne and the other adults at the orphanage were all seated at a table in the front of the room. After getting their food, they sat down at a table in the back, by themselves, just as they did at lunch. During dinner though, they attempted not to stare at the others. They had never seen so many kids all in one place.

 _There are even more kids here now than there was earlier at lunch. Are you sure we can sneak out the ways we looked at?_ Eugene as always, was the more timid twin.

Flynn's response was almost automatic. _Of course we can. It's not like they're gonna pay attention to us kids. They probably just think we're too little to have to worry about, so we can just go whenever we feel like, they can't make us stay here._

 _Ok, I know if you say we can, then we can. You know how to get around people who want to stop us. Well, except for Mom. Nobody could get around her._

Before Flynn could respond, Miss Anne called attention to the room. "Children, we have two new children with us today. I want you to join me in welcoming Flynn and Eugene." A smattering of applause broke out – more because they knew that Miss Anne expected it than in true welcome. "Flynn, Eugene, when you are done eating, please join me in my office. Marcus, I want you to join us as well." With that announcement, she sat back down and calmly went back to her dinner, not realizing the havoc she had created with that simple request.

Most of the children went back to eating, a little quieter now that there was an explanation for the new faces they saw. But not all of the children were quieter. Some of them were talking quietly about what they would do during playtime after dinner. Others were discussing apprenticeships, either what they wanted to go into, or what had happened during the day. Still others, were quietly wondering how having even more kids in the orphanage would affect them.

One kid in particular was more vocal about his displeasure. Marcus was grumbling to his friends. "Why did Miss Anne tell ME to meet with her at the same time as those brats? I mean, they're babies."

"She probably just wants to have you show them around tomorrow. Make sure they know where to go and stuff." Peter, Marcus' best friend pointed out.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I don't know why I'm so upset about it. I have managed not to have to go into her office in a long time. Makes me wonder what she wants me in there for this time."

"Forget about those two. What are we gonna do during class tomorrow? I know you don't actually want to go to class, do you?"

"Of course not, Peter. What do you take me for? We should go spy on the older kids. Maybe we can get them in trouble." Marcus took Peter's advice to heart, and for the rest of the meal, was determined not to even think about the newest members of the orphanage.

Once dinner was over, Marcus said goodbye to Peter and told him he would see him later. "After I go find out what Miss Anne wants, I'll meet you in the kitchen. I think we need dessert. I bet Cook made some really good pies and cakes and I know just how to get some without getting caught."

"Ok. Then you can tell me what Miss Anne wanted you for."

"Sure, see you later," Marcus waved to Peter. Once Peter was gone, Marcus turned around and headed back towards Miss Anne's office.

When Marcus arrived, both Flynn and Eugene were already in the office. He knocked once and waited for the invitation to enter. "You asked me to come by, Miss Anne?"

"Yes, Marcus. Please come in and sit down. Meet Flynn and Eugene." Miss Anne waved Marcus in. He quickly said hello and sat down.

"So what can I do for you, ma'am?" Marcus asked politely, while inwardly rolling his eyes.

"I asked you here, Marcus, because I have placed these two in your room. You will be responsible for making sure that they get to their classes on time, as well as introducing them to the other children. They recently lost their mother, so I expect you to be on your best behavior. No funny business, Marcus. I don't want to end up with the palace guards here again because you pulled one of your pranks."

Groaning, Marcus replied. "But, surely there's someone better to show them around. Someone who might actually want to. For instance, what about Tom?"

"Tom was adopted last week. I think it would be a bit difficult for him to show these two around when he isn't here."

"Ok what about one of the older girls? I remember hearing one of them mention that she always wanted a little brother or sister to look after and comfort them because she remembers how she felt when she first arrived here."

"I'm not asking one of them, Marcus. I'm telling you that it is your responsibility to look after them while they are here. No exceptions."

"But that's not fair," Marcus complained. "Why do I have to look after them?"

"Because I told you to. Besides, it wouldn't hurt you to actually learn a little responsibility. Now go to your room and get ready for bed. Flynn, Eugene, I would like you to stay a little longer."

With that, Marcus left the room, slamming the door behind him. Turning her attention back to the twins, Miss Anne said, "So are there any questions you would like to ask me before you get ready for bed tonight?"

"Well, we were wondering what you meant when you said a boy named Tom was adopted last week and he couldn't show us around cause he wasn't here." Eugene said timidly still feeling slightly uncomfortable around Anne. "What does it mean to be adopted?"

"You mean the Captain never told you what it means for kids like you to stay in a place like this?" she said somewhat surprised at learning this information.

"Well," Flynn responded carefully, "he did tell us that kids who didn't have parents anymore or have been separated from them come here."

"While that's true, there's more to it than that. Kids that stay here typically never see their parents again. So they wait here for people to come by and hope that they will be picked to be a part of a new family."

 _We'll never see Mom again?_ Eugene thought as tears started to gather in his eyes again. _Maybe Mom really did die in the fire and the Captain was too afraid to tell us. That's why he really brought us here._

"A new family?" Flynn asked. "But what would happen if our mother is found after we joined this new family?" _What if we're separated into different families? We might never see each other again much less Mom._

"I honestly don't know. It has never happened in all the time I have been here. She may decide that you would be better off where you might end up instead of being with her again. But's that not all, sometimes kids come back because the family no longer felt it was best for them to be in their family."

"What?" the boys chorused.

"I guess he didn't tell you as much as most of the other children knew when they first came here. I wonder why that would be." Miss Anne's thoughts ran rampant. _Is it possible that he didn't want them to worry? That he actually cares for these boys? No of course not, that's just his job. But then again what could be so special about these two that he would be bring them here personally and say that the King and Queen are making sure that they have everything they need for as long as they're here? Why hasn't he gone through this much trouble to make the others are provided for? Aren't they just as important as these two?_ "Ok, we can discuss this more tomorrow. It is getting late. Head on up to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Miss Anne," chorused the boys as they left the room.

Meanwhile, back at the Captain's house, he had his own problems. Since James was spending the night with his friends. Matthew's mother had kindly agreed to take all three boys overnight, so the Captain and his wife took the opportunity to speak frankly about the day.

"Henry, are you alright?" Ellen asked her husband concerned. "You've been extremely quiet since you came back from dropping the boys off at the orphanage."

"Hmm? Oh yes I'm fine. I guess I'm just lost in thought about how they're adjusting and whether or not they're ok."

"I'm sure they're ok. I know you made sure that the headmistress of the orphanage knew that the boys were to be treated with the utmost respect and care," she replied.

"Yes, but… I'm not sure that she will actually do it. Plus, I didn't get a chance to meet any of the other children there so I don't know how well they will interact with Flynn and Eugene. I guess I am just being paranoid. I'm sure you're right. They will be fine."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

When the boys retired to their room, Marcus was sitting up in his bed waiting for them. The reason why was unclear, but Flynn had a feeling that they would find out soon. He also had a feeling that he wouldn't like where it would lead.

"Hello, boys." Marcus started. "Since Miss Anne left me in charge of you two, I figured I should give you a few rules that you will follow while you are staying in MY room. Some start tonight and most will start in the morning. Do I make myself clear?" he asked as he glanced between the two.

Eugene nodded slowly out of fear and stepped behind his brother to try and make himself invisible. Flynn on the other hand felt like challenging the "authority" Marcus was given by Miss Anne. "What exactly qualifies you to set rules for us?"

"It's my room."

"It's not your orphanage."

"Yeah. But you're staying MY room and Miss Anne left me in charge of you two. So that means I can make my own rules. Besides your brother said he would follow them. Why won't you?"

"Because we don't have to."

"You better follow my rules or I'm gonna make you regret it."

"Who says I won't tell?"

"Go ahead and tell Miss Anne. She won't do anything. And if she won't do anything, none of the other staff will."

"Really? What did you do that was so bad it caused the palace guards to come check it out?"

"Nothing that concerns you, pipsqueak. Now rule number 1, no touching any of my stuff."

"Why would we want to touch your stupid stuff?" Flynn asked. "It's not like you have anything good over there."

"Whatever, just stay away from it. Now, rule 2, stay away from me and my friends."

"Hmmm. I don't know about that one 'cause Miss Anne told you to show us around, so why should we stay away? I think she expects to see us around you and your friends." Flynn might not have wanted to spend any real time with Marcus and his friends, but he wasn't about to tell him that. "Fine, whatever, as long as we don't get in trouble with Miss Anne."

"She won't care. And finally rule 3, anything I say goes. Got it?"

"That's even worse than Rule 2. I'm not gonna just follow all your dumb rules. And I won't help you make my brother follow them either. If we want to do something, we will, even if it breaks your stupid rules." Flynn's response was instantaneous. No way was he going to agree to those rules. And as usual, since he didn't, neither did Eugene.

Just then, Marcus got out of bed and stared down at Flynn in anger. "You kids are too stupid to do what you're told. Don't say I didn't warn you when things get hard." Marcus was mad that the twins refused to obey his rules, and worse, Flynn outright revolted against them.

"So what? Who cares about your dumb rules, anyway? Come on, Eugene, let's get our stuff put up before we go to bed."

"Ok," Eugene said. _I already miss the Captain and Miss Ellen. Maybe they will come visit us soon._ The boys naturally slipped into their silent communication, not wanting their new "roommate" to overhear their conversation while he climbed back in bed.

 _Maybe, but don't be upset if they don't. They have their own life to worry about. We have to worry about finding Mom still. Let's start planning tomorrow._ Flynn tried to reassure Eugene without outright lying.

 _Yeah, I wish we could just go now though. I don't like the orphanage anymore. I think Marcus might be worse than James. And I didn't think that was possible._

 _I know what you mean. He is really mean. I don't know about his friends, though._ Ever practical, Flynn kept his worry from his voice, or in this case, his eyes, when talking to his brother, not wanting him to get upset. _I know Marcus is the leader though. Just the way he acts, there's no way he takes orders from anyone else, not even one of his friends._

The boys went back to putting up their things, few as they were. Once their things were put away, they turned out the light, and laid down. Because of the limited space in the orphanage, there were bunk beds in the room. Marcus had managed, by fair means or foul, to get rid of every other roommate he had ever had. He ended up having a room all too himself – even though the room was meant to house 4 children.

Surprisingly enough, Marcus didn't take the bed by the window. He preferred to use the top bunk of the set of bunk beds by the door. Flynn and Eugene looked at each other.

 _Guess we get the beds by the window, Flynn. I thought Marcus would have wanted those, but I like being close to them though. I feel like if I look outside at the night sky, I'm looking at the same stars and sky that Mom is._

 _I never thought of that. I think you're right though. I bet Mom looks at the sky and wonders where we are. I bet she has done that every night since the fire. Come on, we need some sleep. Tomorrow we gotta start getting used to this place so we can make some plans._

 _Yeah. Plans to go find Mom, right?_

 _Uh-huh. We're gonna wait a while before we go looking though. Gotta make sure that no one will come looking for us while we're gone._

 _Ok, good night, Flynn._

 _Night, Eugene._

The next morning, true to his word, Marcus flat out ignored the twins. No conversation and definitely no showing them around. Flynn knew since Marcus wasn't showing them around, there wasn't any use trying to figure things out just yet. He headed down to see Miss Anne to make sure they found their class. That was of course, AFTER they got some food from the kitchen. Breakfast may have been over, but Flynn knew he could always persuade the Cook to give him something he could share with his brother.

After eating their fill of pastries, the boys headed to find Miss Anne and their class.

"Miss Anne, what are we going to be doing today?" Eugene asked.

"Why aren't you two in class? I'm sure I asked someone to show you around."

"You did, Miss Anne, but we were slow getting up and eating this morning. We just finished getting all the way ready to go to class. We went looking for Marcus but we couldn't find him. He probably thought we were taking too long and didn't want to be late to class, So Flynn and I thought that you could help us get to class this morning." Flynn may be the twin who usually handled things, but Eugene was pretty adept at keeping others from figuring things out too. He didn't want to make Marcus mad by getting him in trouble with Miss Anne but he didn't want to lie to her either.

"Is this true, Flynn? Were you two just running behind and so your escort went on to class without you?"

"Yeah. We knew if we could find you, that you would show us where to go. So where are we going?"

Miss Anne grumbled but led the way to a classroom the very end of the hall. "Here you go, boys. This is the classroom for 4-5 year olds. Next year you will move up to the 6-8 year- old classroom. Did you need anything else before I go to my office?"

"No, Miss Anne. I'm sure we will be ok now. Thanks for showing us how to get here." Flynn was at least attempting to be polite in his response.

"Yes, thank you, Miss Anne. Have a good day!" Eugene blurted as she walked away.

 _So, you ready for this?_ Eugene asked his brother, in their silent way.

 _Yeah, let's go meet the rest of these kids. Maybe some of them will actually be nice._

Taking a deep breath, they opened the door and walked into the classroom.

"There you two are. I was wondering if you got lost trying to find your way." the teacher said with a smile that reminded the boys so much of their mother. Sadly, though, they knew it wasn't her.

"Oh, it's fine." Flynn replied. "The person that was supposed to show us around couldn't be found this morning so we went and got Miss Anne to show us where to go." Eugene cringed at the thought of their original escort and was glad he didn't actually see to it that they got there. He didn't want to think about what could've happened otherwise.

Meanwhile, Marcus was explaining to Peter the confrontation from the night before and his thoughts afterwards. "You should've been there. It was like he was scared of me or something even though his brother was telling me they wouldn't obey the rules no matter what. And I thought that if the little baby's scared enough to cower behind his brother all the time, then just imagine just how scared he will be when we show him and his stuck-up twin what happens to those who come and mess with m- us."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Six months later, it was clear that Marcus was getting a little frustrated. The boys didn't seem to be affected by anything he had done. True, he had made them late to class, which had gotten them in trouble, but they appeared to take it all in stride. He got them in trouble for not having cleaned their part of the room. He even made it where they were late to dinner (and therefore missed eating entirely) a few times. Nothing he did seemed to faze them. So, Marcus decided he would have to brainstorm better ideas with Peter. Something had to be done, the boys deserved revenge.

"Peter, we have to come up with something better than we have done so far. They don't seem to be scared of me. I refuse to let them continue like this. They WILL start doing what I want them to." Marcus was quick to anger these days. He wasn't getting the reaction he expected from the twins and it was making him really mad.

"Marcus, I don't know what else we can do. The boys are brats but lately they aren't even getting in trouble. I mean it's not like we can just beat them up."

"Peter, that's perfect. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Hmm, what to do first, though? We have to start with just one of them. And maybe not beat him up to start with. Just a punch or two here and there. What do you think? Eugene or Flynn?"

"I'm not sure we should do it at all, Marcus. I mean it's not like they are really bad. I mean sure they don't listen to you but….."

"Exactly. They have to learn their place. I am in charge here. NOT them. They need to get that through their heads. I think we should start with Eugene. He's so scared of everything, I bet he jumps at his own shadow. We just have to separate him from his brother. That way, maybe we can punish them both at the same time."

Now that they had figured out what to do next, Marcus seemed to relax a bit. A few days later, Marcus and Peter cornered Eugene.

"So you think you're better than us, huh, Eugene? You think you can just make me mad and do whatever you want with no consequences. Well, guess what you can't. I tell you what to do. If you don't do it, me and Peter are gonna beat you up."

"I d-d-didn't do anything to you, Marcus. Promise." Eugene's answer was given hesitantly.

"Yes you did, you brat. I have to put up with you and I even have to share my room with you. That's bad enough. Then I have to see you. Just for that, you – and your stupid brother – both deserve to be beat up," Marcus answered.

Peter, meanwhile, didn't say a word. He just stood there glaring at Eugene, looking mean and tough, or at least trying to. After he finished delivering his message, Marcus stomped off with Peter following closely behind him. Eugene was stunned. He thought they were finally settling in to the orphanage, but obviously not.

 _Now what do I do?_ Eugene thought to himself. _I don't want Flynn to get hurt, but I thought we had decided not to follow Marcus's rules. Now he is threatening to beat me up._

Eugene had just sat down on his bed, when Flynn came in. Instantly, Flynn knew something was up. His brother was NEVER quiet and settled this early in the day. Usually, he would be out playing with the horses in the stables or climbing trees this time of day.

"Eugene, what's wrong? You should be out playing, not stuck in here." Flynn attempted to get to the heart of the matter.

"Nothin', Flynn. I just don't feel like running around."

"Eugene, I KNOW you. Something had to have happened. So give up and tell me. You know I won't leave you alone until you do."

Eugene was frustrated, but was also afraid that Marcus would actually do what he threatened to do. He wasn't gonna let anybody hurt his brother.

"Come on and just tell me, Eugene. You know you will tell me in the end anyway," Flynn argued.

"Marcus just left with Peter," Eugene answered. "I'm sure you can guess what happened."

"Guess or not, I would rather you just told me."

"They threatened to beat me up since we aren't doing what they want. And then he said we both deserved to be beaten up. I-I-I'm scared, Flynn. I don't wanna be beaten up."

Flynn was floored. He knew Marcus was bad, but he didn't expect him to threaten to beat them up. "You know I will protect you, Eugene. You're my brother, my twin."

 _Let's talk about something more fun now. We haven't snuck out to look for Mom recently. When do you want to go next?_ Flynn switched to communicating with his eyes. The last thing he wanted was for Marcus or Peter to overhear them talking about having snuck out and get them in even more trouble.

 _Really, Flynn? You want to go look for her again? I thought you had just given up on ever finding her._

 _Yeah, but we need to get some stuff together before we go. Whose turn is it to get the cook to give us snacks?_

 _Mine I think._ Eugene answered. _What do you want to eat and when are we going?_

 _Hmmm, today is Wednesday. How about we go Saturday. I would say tomorrow but, I think Marcus and Peter might expect us to do something now. Let's wait a few days first, ok?_

 _Ok, so I will talk to Cook Friday night. I'm sure we can get something to snack on for our trip. Did you just want whatever she gives me?_

 _Yeah, one less thing to worry about. So where are we gonna search for her? Do you want to go all the way back to where the cabin was before the fire, or what?_

 _It's been a while. We should start at the beginning, or in this case, the cabin. That way we can search everywhere and we know we won't miss her._

 _So it's all set. We go Saturday after breakfast. Since it's the weekend there aren't classes we would get in trouble for missing, or church. Not that we really want to go to either, but….no reason to give Marcus more stuff to get us in trouble, or beat us up over._

Before they could say anything else, Marcus walked into the room and immediately began to try to intimidate Flynn. He knew it would be hard to get Flynn to actually be scared, but he was sure he could do it.

"So, did your dumb little shadow tell you what I told him earlier?" Marcus asked Flynn.

"I don't have a dumb little shadow, Marcus. I have a brother." Flynn answered.

"Same thing. I don't see a difference between a shadow and Eugene. So, did he tell you what I told him?"

"I don't know what you told him, so I don't know if he told me or not. Just to be sure, why don't you tell me? Or are you afraid to say it to my face?" Flynn didn't know why, but he was sure that was part of the problem. Marcus was all talk; he didn't think he actually had the guts to tell him.

"What I said, brat, was that you both deserve to be beaten up 'cause I am sick of you. And I think I will do just that." Marcus said belligerently.

"Oh, yeah? And how are you gonna do that? You may be bigger than me, but I bet I can beat you in a fight." Flynn replied cockily.

"Why you little –. " Marcus advanced on Flynn. "Peter, you take Eugene. We gotta teach these two a lesson."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Both Flynn and Eugene, who were still bruised, when Saturday dawned bright and early, couldn't wait till breakfast was over. They wanted to just leave without waiting to eat, but knew it would be better than missing a meal and getting in trouble with Miss Anne.

 _So what did you get from the cook for snacks today, Eugene?_

 _I got some cheese and bread. We can eat that for lunch. The cook even told me I could get milk and pastries if I came back after breakfast before we leave._

 _Cool._ Before they could respond any further, the breakfast bell rang. _Yay breakfast – let's eat fast so we can get going._

Afterwards, the boys headed to the kitchen, collected the additional snacks from the cook, and headed out – being careful not to be seen.

Even though they had set out optimistically, both boys were getting a bit discouraged. It was noon and they had been searching for hours. They had searched around the old cabin ruins and almost a mile in each direction before meeting back up where the captain had found them months before.

 _I don't think we're ever gonna find her, Flynn. But she has to be here somewhere, right?_

 _Of course she does, Eugene. She couldn't have just vanished._

 _But where could she have gone?_

 _I don't know but she's bound to turn up somewhere._

The boys were quite discouraged by this point. Flynn was having more trouble trying to stay optimistic, but he wasn't about to let his twin know.

 _Should we head back to the orphanage? It doesn't look like we're ever going to find her._

 _Sure, Eugene, we can head back. Don't say that, we will find her. I just don't know when._

With that in mind, the boys gathered their belongings and headed back to the orphanage. When they got back, Marcus was waiting for them.

"Just what do you two think you're up to? You can't just leave whenever you want. I should tell Miss Anne about this. Hmmm. What do you think, Peter? Should we tell Miss Anne? Or just beat them up again?"

"Miss Anne isn't going to do anything to them, Marcus."

"You're right, let's beat them up again, Peter. You take Eugene, I'll take care of Flynn." Marcus wasn't happy with either twin and he wasn't about to let them get away with doing whatever they wanted.

But before Marcus could do anything, Miss Anne showed up and announced that Flynn and Eugene had a visitor.

"Follow me, boys. Your visitor is in my office. Don't keep him waiting."

The twins followed Miss Anne out of their bedroom and down the stairs to her office, wondering the entire time, just who would come to visit them.

 _Flynn, I'm scared. What if it's someone who wants to adopt us? Or maybe just one of us? Then we would be separated._

 _Don't worry, Eugene. We'll be ok, no matter what happens. I'll always be with you._

 _Do you think Marcus will beat us up again once our visitor leaves?_

 _I know that he will try, Eugene, but I'll protect you._

 _Ok, Flynn. I trust you._

When the twins entered the office, they were shocked to see just who had come to see them. The Captain had just turned around to greet them when he noticed the bruises. Unsure of whether or not the headmistress had been the one to hurt them, he said nothing about them.

"Hi Flynn, Eugene. How are you?" The Captain asked.

"Good, Captain." they answered quietly.

"Would you like to show me your room? I would like to see where you're staying."

"That would be ok, wouldn't it, Miss Anne?" Flynn looked to the headmistress to make sure he had permission to show the Captain the room he and his brother were staying in.

"Go ahead, boys."

They were quick to leave before she could change her mind. Although, it wasn't far, before the Captain stopped them.

"Boys, why are you all bruised up? Is Miss Anne cruel to you?"

"N-n-n-o." Eugene responded.

"Then what exactly happened? Did you get into an argument with another boy here?"

"Umm…."

The boys hadn't had a chance to come up with a believable story yet, so they were worried about what the Captain would say if he knew.

"There's no point in lying about it. I can tell you were hurt by someone. Now WHO did it?"

Eugene flinched and looked at Flynn. His twin would come up with something.

"Captain, one of the boys got mad at us. He decided he had to teach us a lesson 'cause we didn't want to just do everything he told us to do. So him and his friend beat us up." Flynn answered the captain's question reluctantly.

"And what exactly did Miss Anne do about it?"

"Nothing, Captain. I don't think she even knows what happened." Flynn's response was quiet. _Or if she even cares._ he thought silently.

"We shall see about that. Let me speak with her. Who were they?"

"The b-b-boy we share our room with and his friend did it." Eugene was the one who answered this time.

The twins continued to lead the Captain into their room. Marcus and Peter were just leaving when the trio entered the room. Marcus didn't notice the Captain at first, and was quick to remind the twins just who was in charge.

"So you two are back, huh? Guess your visitor didn't really want to stick around long. Don't think you're gonna get out of the beating we're gonna …." Marcus stopped mid-sentence when he realized that the boys weren't alone. "Uhhhh…"

"Hello. You must be their roommate. How nice to meet you," the Captain said quietly. "It's nice to know that these two are being well looked after and protected from bullies…"

Marcus stuttered. "I-i-I, um. Yeah, sure."

"What's your name?" the Captain asked.

"I-i-I'm Marcus and this is Peter."

"Well, Marcus, Peter. Since you are helping to watch these two, maybe you can answer something for me."

"Sure," Marcus and Peter responded together. They didn't know who he was, but could tell he was important as he was wearing his Guard uniform.

"I'm glad I can count on you. So, what I want to know, is just how Flynn and Eugene got all these bruises. It looks like someone beat them." The Captain stated calmly.

Caught off guard, Marcus wasn't sure what to say.

"Or could it be," the Captain said quietly. "That you two didn't exactly protect them. And instead, you beat them?"

"I-i-I, well…" Marcus stammered.

"Did I forget to mention that these two are under the protection of the King and Queen? They don't like it when someone under their protection gets hurt. Maybe I should let them know what has been going on."

"Are we really under the King and Queen's protection, Captain?" Eugene asked.

"Yes you are, boys. They worried that you would find it hard to adjust since your mother still hasn't been found and wanted to make sure you were ok."

"C-c-captain? As in Captain of the Guard?" Marcus stammered.

"Yes, Marcus. I am. So, do you think you can make sure that these two boys don't get hurt again? I wouldn't like to have to report you to the King."

"Y-y-yes, Sir. I can do that." Marcus responded. He was quick to tell the Captain that he would help watch Flynn and Eugene.

"I'm glad you can help me. Well, boys, I need to be on my way. How about you walk me out to my horse?" The Captain gestured to Flynn and Eugene to precede him out of the room.

After the Captain had left, Marcus and Peter looked at each other.

"So what if they're under the king and queen's protection. I don't care. I'm gonna get those two brats. And show them what happens when one tells about these little activities without permission." Marcus muttered to Peter. "I'll do whatever I want to them. I will just have to be careful not to let the bruises show next time. Leave them under their shirts or pants so they can't be seen."

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Marcus?" Peter asked. "I mean, he's not just any guard he's their captain. He's bound to figure it out, somehow, even if they don't tell him."

"It's not a good idea, it's a GREAT idea, Peter."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

As the months wore on, the Captain was a frequent visitor visiting them almost weekly. Not often, but sometimes, the Captain could be persuaded to read to them. The twins' favorite story was one about Flynnigan Rider. They liked it so much, that they focused more on reading so they didn't have to wait to have it read to them. Flynn and Eugene both loved the story about the swashbuckling rogue who was so rich he could do anything he wanted.

Now, over the past few months, the orphanage had taken in more and more children so the headmistress Miss Anne decided that it was time some of the others stepped in to help. Eugene and Flynn were assigned to read to the younger children since they had mastered reading. Eugene would read the book to the children to pass the time. Flynn took it a step farther though, he would make up his own adventure that Flynnigan Rider had, and tell these new adventures to the children instead of simply reading the book.

Christmastime had come once again to the people of Corona but for the orphanage it was just like any other day. There were no presents and no special dinner. The orphans simply carried on as they had the previous day. The children only had their memories of what Christmas used to be before they had been brought to the orphanage.

The twins had been invited to visit the king and queen once again at the palace. This visit was to take place on Christmas Eve. While they were excited to see them again, they were apprehensive about why they had been summoned. Marcus had been more subtle in his attacks since the Captain caught him, but was still bullying the twins whenever he could.

Although Flynn managed to make some friends with some of the other children at the orphanage, Eugene was still hesitant and hadn't made any. He preferred to spend his time with Flynn, and did tag along with Flynn and his friends occasionally. Marcus used this to his advantage. Marcus had undermined his confidence to the point he wasn't sure that Flynn even really wanted him around and had started to think of running away.

This was the issue most bothering Eugene when the boys got to the palace. King Geoffrey was first to welcome the boys.

"Hello again, Flynn, Eugene. How have you been? I know you have had some problems adjusting when you first arrived at the orphanage but I hope that those problems have resolved themselves by now." The king said quietly.

"The orphanage is ok. We still miss our mom though. I wish she was here." Eugene stated.

"Boys, there is something we wanted to share with you, the king and I. We are going to be parents sometime around next June. We wanted you to be the first to know. We will announce it to the kingdom tomorrow. It will be our Christmas gift to the kingdom." The queen's comments were stated lightly, trying to gauge the boys' reactions.

"You're gonna have a baby, Queen Adelaide?" Eugene asked. "That's cool. Do you want a boy or a girl? A little princess like you would be really cool."

"Yes, Eugene, I'm going to have a baby. I don't know if it will be a boy or girl yet. I won't know until the baby is born. I just want the baby to be healthy. A girl like me would be nice, but I wouldn't mind a little boy like his father, or even like the two of you." The queen was quick to reassure them. "And, boys, since I am going to have a baby, I thought it would be nice to get some practice in before the baby is born. What do you think about me coming to the orphanage and spending time with you boys as well as the other orphans? I could come a couple times a week, maybe more if it works out. What do you say? Should I do that?"

"Alright. That would be awesome. Queen Adelaide. Would you like to read to us? Eugene and me are getting better at reading, but it would be nice if we had someone read to us sometimes." Flynn's response was enthusiastic.

"Okay, boys. I think we can safely say that you would like me to visit you. And I would be happy to read to you anytime you want. OK?" The queen was happy that the boys seemed to be ok about her pregnancy. She was afraid that they would be upset since there was still no word about their mother. "Now, since it is Christmas Eve, how about we open some presents?"

"Presents! What presents? Where?" Eugene and Flynn asked excitedly. "We didn't expect presents since our mom isn't here. For us, really?" Again the responses came from Eugene and Flynn simultaneously.

"Yes, boys, presents for each of you. Come on, let's go to the family quarters and open those presents. We can have dinner later." The king announced.

"Oh, boy," Eugene said. "Presents. Come on Flynn. Hurry up."

"I'm hurrying, Eugene. Let's go!" Flynn responded.

The king and queen led the boys out of the Great Hall, and down the corridor to the family wing. Inside, they went to the sitting area of the family wing, and stopped in front of a beautifully decorated tree.

"Wow. It's pretty," Eugene said.

"Yeah," Flynn agreed.

The boys stood in awe looking at the tree, then turned and stared at the mound of presents under it. Most, as they saw, had one or both of their names on them. It took very little prompting to get the boys to start opening presents. Soon the mound of unopened presents grew smaller and the piles of toys and books around the boys grew.

Much later, after the food had been eaten, the king announced that it was time to go back to the orphanage, but he would see them soon.

"Yes, boys, we will see you soon. I will come next week." The queen announced. "Then we can work out what you would like to do while I'm there."

"Goodnight, Eugene, Flynn, be good. Captain, please make sure they get back to the orphanage safely. Come back here when you finish so we can discuss some things." The king spoke quietly, trying to keep any anxiety out of his voice so that the boys wouldn't catch on.

"Yes, Sir. I will be back shortly." The Captain replied.

True to his words, the captain returned within the hour. The king and the Captain closeted themselves into the council room to discuss the progress that had been made to locate the boys' missing mother.

"I have looked everywhere, Sir. I think I may have found her, BUT, she was killed in a fire around the same time the boys were found. I hate to say it, but I think we have to tell the boys that their mother is dead." The Captain's voice was tight, as he said these words.

"I think you're right, Captain, but I will leave it to you as to when to tell the boys that their mother is truly gone."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Back at the orphanage, the boys ran into Marcus. Peter had been adopted a couple of weeks ago by a couple whose child had died. Since he left, Marcus had been meaner than ever. He didn't hit them anymore, his taunts were much more subtle.

"What are you looking at, you freak?" Marcus was quick to jump on Eugene. Trying to undermine any confidence he had managed to build. "And you, Flynn, don't you have something better to do?"

"Come on, Eugene. Let's just go to bed. It's late."

Eugene didn't answer, but followed Flynn silently to their room.

The next morning, Flynn was already up and gone when Eugene got up. Unfortunately, Marcus was still there.

"So, Eugene, aren't you tired of tagging along with your brother? You know he doesn't really want you there anymore since he's got friends to play with instead of you. He even told me so as he left to join them this morning."

By now Eugene had gotten so scared of Marcus he couldn't even speak but his eyes showed Marcus that he was trying hard not to believe this obvious lie even if he was worried that it might be true. So he decided at that moment to walk out of the room and read some of the books in the small library or maybe even spend some time with the animals in the barn.

After everything he had been through this morning with Marcus, Eugene decided to try to hide from him by going to the barn. At least the animals there wouldn't pick on him. And it was a lot more likely that he would run into Marcus again if he stayed inside – even in the library.

When Eugene got to the barn, he quietly let himself in and shut the door behind him. He waited a few minutes for his eyes to adjust, then he made his way silently to the nearest horse stall. There were only a few horses in the entire barn, but Eugene made sure he spent plenty of time with each of them.

After spending hours in the barn, Eugene heard the bell that said it was time for lunch. He wasn't hungry but knew he had to at least pretend to eat so Flynn didn't get suspicious.

"Hey, Eugene. Where were you all morning? I looked for you for over an hour," Flynn said.

"I was helping out in the library." Eugene responded.

 _Are you alright, Eugene? I saw Marcus this morning and he looked way too pleased with himself. I'm sure he was up to no good._

 _Of course, I'm all right, Flynn. Why wouldn't I be? I know Marcus won't really hurt me now. You took care of that when you beat him up the last time._

 _That did seem to change things didn't it? I told you I would always be there to protect you._

 _Yep, you sure did, Flynn. Do you ever, you know, get tired of always having to protect me? Cause that's what some of the other kids are saying. That you only protect me cause you promised._

 _I don't protect you because I promised, Eugene. You're my brother and I love you. Besides, brothers stick together._

While Eugene was talking to his brother, it was easy to see that Flynn meant what he said. Eugene found it pretty easy to believe in the bond that he had shared with Flynn all his life. But, there were times, like this morning, when he wasn't so sure that Flynn wasn't starting to resent him. Still, they were brothers no matter what.

Later that night, after Flynn had gone to bed, Marcus cornered Eugene again. Once again, he started in on the protection issue.

"Well, Eugene, have you finally realized I was right? Flynn has better things to do than protect you all the time. He has friends now. Which is more than I can say for you. When are you gonna just grow up?" Marcus sneered at Eugene. "What a little crybaby."

Instead of responding, Eugene just pushed past Marcus and climbed into bed. He knew once he was there, that Marcus would shut up so Flynn didn't hear the snide comments. After a while, Eugene finally fell asleep, hoping that tomorrow would be a better day.

The next morning dawned and the boys were once again alerted to the fact that they had a visitor. This time it was the queen. She had come to read to them – well all the orphans really, but she wanted to see the twins first. After a small bit of awkwardness, the twins settled in with the queen in the small library – surrounded by a few of the younger children. The tales of Flynnigan Ryder had never sounded so good as when the Queen made sure to give each character in the story their own speaking voice.

The queen quickly became a frequent visitor. While she didn't make up stories about the orphans' favorite hero, she was becoming more and more talented with voicing the stories. Each time she visited, she had more and more of the children come to listen to her storytelling.

About a month after that first visit, Flynn and Eugene were looking forward to the Queen's upcoming visit – she came at least twice a week, sometimes more – when they were summoned to Miss Anne's office for a visitor.

"Hi, Miss Anne. We were told there was a visitor to see us." As usual Flynn was the one to speak for both of them.

"Yes, boys, please come in. The Captain is here and needs to talk to you. Captain, I will be in the hall if you need me." Miss Anne was quick to offer the use of her office.

"Thank you, Miss Anne, but that won't be necessary. I think it might be best if the boys and I take a walk." The Captain's refusal was gently phrased so as not to hurt anyone's feelings.

Once outside, the trio headed for the barn. There were no other orphans wandering around so the Captain felt it was the best place to let the boys know about their mother's fate.

"Boys, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but it looks like your mother is dead. There is a report of a woman heard screaming about a house fire and her sons, but that woman was killed in the fire – she had run back to save her children. No one realized that her children had already escaped before she ran back in until it was too late. The only remains were hers."

Flynn and Eugene's faces were the picture of shock and horror. Neither had ever really thought that their mother could be dead but it seemed to be true.

 _That's it, Flynn. We'll never see Mom again._ Eugene was heartbroken. He had been determined to find his mother, and now it looked like he had, but she wasn't alive.

 _I know, Eugene. But we'll always be together. Brothers, remember?_

The silent communication took only seconds. Before the boys could react any further, the Captain pulled both into a spontaneous hug. After consoling them for a few minutes, the Captain realized he had to let them go and get back to work. Reluctantly, he released them.

"Boys, remember if you need anything to let me know. I have to get back to work now." With that, the captain turned and walked out of the barn, making the walk back to the main township in silence.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

A few nights after the Captain's visit, Marcus cornered Eugene again. The commentary was the same, but Eugene couldn't shrug the insults and taunts off the way he had been able to before the Captain's revelation.

"You really are a crybaby, aren't you, Eugene? I heard you crying last night. Bet Flynn did too. And he's tired of trying to cheer you up – or protect you. Why can't you protect yourself once in a while? Or better yet, protect Flynn. I heard him complaining about what a little baby you are and how he wishes he was an only child."

Eugene walked away, but couldn't ignore the comments this time. Instead of going to bed, he wandered outside. His only thought was to get away from everything. He wandered towards the barn and sat inside near one of the horses. After a few minutes of debate, he decided he would make both Marcus and Flynn happy and just run away. He wouldn't be a burden on Flynn any longer, and Marcus would have one less person to share a room with. Then maybe, Marcus would be nicer to Flynn.

His decision made, Eugene dashed back inside – just to the kitchen – and haphazardly grabbed a few small pieces of cheese and a crust of bread – before dashing back outside and down the lane towards the town. Eugene made it about halfway to town, when it started raining. Now that it was raining, Eugene realized just how tired he was. Looking around, he noticed a large house with a barn. Making a quick decision, he turned off of the main road and eased his way into the barn.

Once inside the warm, dry barn, Eugene noticed that it looked more like the barns at the palace, than the barn at the orphanage. Eugene looked around slowly. Once he was able to locate the horses, he quickly took his small pack of food and ate, then turned and entered the closest stall. Before long, he had curled up and fallen asleep.

It could have been hours or only minutes, before Eugene was awakened by the sound of the barn door opening. Quickly, he gathered his few belongings and hid behind the horse.

"I wonder what caused the ruckus the horses and other animals made a few minutes ago." The man who entered appeared to be talking to himself. The man stopped and rubbed the nose of his favorite horse. After a few minutes, the man resumed his talk with himself. "Hmm. I think I see what caused it. A boy snuck in here and is trying to hide. I wonder what would make him do that. Oh, well. Nothing I can do about it tonight. How about an apple, hmm?"

The horse gingerly took the apple from the man, then butted his head up against the man's hand. It was obvious that the man loved his horse, but also that his horse loved him as well. Emboldened by this, Eugene edged his way out from behind the horse.

"Eeexxx-cccuse me, sir," Eugene stuttered. "Would you happen to have another apple? I'm kinda hungry."

"And just who are you, my boy? And where did you come from?" The man asked quietly.

"My name's Eugene, sir. And it doesn't matter where I came from, since I'm never going back."

"Oh? And why would you run away from home? Did they not feed you?" The man attempted to keep his voice light, though he wanted Eugene to give him more information. "Tell me what was so horrible you had to run away."

Eugene decided he didn't have anything to lose by telling this stranger about why he had run away.

"You see, Sir. I'm an orphan. My brother and I live at the orphanage near here. My brother has had to protect me from everything – especially the bully we share the room with. And my brother is tired of having to take care of me since our mom died last year."

"Ah, now I see. So you didn't want to be a burden on your brother anymore, so you figure running away will solve all your problems, huh?" The man's voice was laden with doubt. "Hmm, well, I guess you know your brother better than I do. I guess I should introduce myself. I am the Duke of Cambria. I know it's a mouthful, so you can call me Charles. "

"Yeah, I hate having to have him protect me and not being able to do it myself. I feel like all I am is just a burden to him. He's my brother and I love him and want him to be happy. Not just taking care of me all the time."

"I understand, Eugene. Sometimes you have to rely on other people to help you, even when you don't want to. But I can also see your brother's side of things. I am sure he wouldn't want you to feel like that. I know I wouldn't want my brother to feel bad just because I had to help him. And I know I wouldn't want to be a burden to him." Charles replied.

"I know, but I just don't want to be a burden."

"I know you don't, but you will have to go back. I'm sure your brother is worried about you."

"Awww, do I have to go back? I just have no friends. No one really likes me, Flynn's the one who made friends already."

Charles simply looked at him. After a few minutes, Eugene looked away.

"Fine I will go back, but can I at least wait until tomorrow? Huh, Charles?"

"We can wait until you get some sleep, but then you have to go back. But you don't have to go alone. I will go with you."

"Ok, Charles. I am pretty tired. I guess I will lay down and sleep for a while." With that, Eugene laid down next to the horse and curled up.

"I was planning on going back to my house tonight, but I think I will just sleep here as well. Would you like to share my blanket? It is pretty cold out here tonight. What do you say, Eugene?"

"Alright, we can share the blanket. Goodnight, sir."

Meanwhile, back at the orphanage, Flynn was looking everywhere for Eugene. He had a bad feeling that Eugene wasn't anywhere around. After several hours, he ended up with a few of his friends in the room they shared.

"Are you sure you haven't seen Eugene, guys? He doesn't usually hide from me." Flynn's frustration with his inability to locate his twin was obvious to his friends.

"No." Dave replied.

"Sorry," Ben said.

"Haven't seen him." Will responded.

"I'm really worried. Do you think something might have happened to him? Maybe he ran away."

Flynn's friends just looked at each other, then back at Flynn and shrugged their shoulders. No one wanted to be the one to tell Flynn that his brother might have run away from him.

"Hey, Flynn, maybe we should just, you know, sleep for a while. We can always go look for him tomorrow if he doesn't show up. It's getting late. I'm tired. I promise I will help you look for him tomorrow." Ben volunteered.

"Ok, thanks, Ben. Dave, Will, are you guys gonna help too?" Flynn asked.

"Sure," Will replied.

"Yeah," Dave said. "I just want some sleep first. You should get some sleep too, Flynn. We'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Ok, I'll see you at breakfast and we can figure out where to start looking then. Night, guys." Flynn replied then headed to the room he shared with Marcus and his brother.

 _Wherever you are, Eugene, I hope you're ok._ Flynn thought. _I wonder if I should go looking tonight anyway. I know my friends wanted to wait till morning but I don't know. I'm worried now._

Fortunately, Marcus was asleep when Flynn got back to the room. Flynn wasn't sure if he could handle listening to him. Slowly, Flynn got undressed and into bed. He didn't think he would sleep, but he would try. His last thought before drifting off to sleep was to wonder if Eugene had found a warm, dry place to wait out the storm.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

The next morning, Eugene had awoken to find that Charles had left a note saying that he was just in his house checking on breakfast and once they've finished eating they would head to the orphanage. He had some mixed reactions upon finishing the note. On one hand he wanted to see his brother again and on the other he would have to deal with Marcus's taunts possibly getting worse.

It wasn't long before Charles appeared with breakfast. Eugene ate slowly, not sure if he was ready to deal with Marcus again. Finally, regardless of how slowly he ate, it was time to go.

"Come on, Eugene. It's time to head back to the orphanage. You can introduce me to your brother."

"You'll like Flynn. He's awesome." With that, Eugene gathered his courage and led the way out of the barn. A short time later, when they arrived at the orphanage, Eugene began to worry. _What if Miss Anne found out I ran away? What if Flynn is missing because he left to try to find me? What if Marcus decides to taunt him more?_

It was his thoughts of his brother that had Eugene hesitating when they arrived at the orphanage. Eugene looked around, noticed that no one was around. _Is everyone still eating or are they in classes yet? Hmmm. I bet they're still eating. I'll start there._

"Um, Charles, I think everybody's still inside eating. You don't have to come in with me. I can find Flynn on my own."

"You promised to introduce me to your brother, Eugene. Are you trying to back out now? You said I would like him. I have to meet him before I can decide that. So come on. Lead the way." Charles stated firmly.

Eugene led the way to the dining hall, hoping against hope that he wouldn't run into Marcus on the way. Once inside the dining hall, however, he soon saw Flynn. He was surrounded by friends, but seemed worried or upset.

"He's this way. Charles. Over here."

All the sudden, Flynn's head jerked up. He turned around and ran to give Eugene a hug. "Where were you? I was going crazy looking for you last night and I was gonna go looking again after breakfast."

"I wasn't trying to make you worry I just…" he stopped for a moment looking for the words to say.

"Has Marcus said something to you?"

At this, Eugene seemed to take a sudden interest in staring at the floor embarrassed and muttered "He might've said something."

"Like what?"

"I think I would like that answer myself." Charles finally spoke after quietly listening to their reunion. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Charles." Whispering so as not to attract attention to himself, he added, "Though some people like to address me as of the Duke of Cambria."

"Yes, sir. My name is Flynn."

"I figured as much considering what Eugene told me about you as well as what I've seen for myself. But he never said anything about you being twins." He remarked after noticing just how identical they looked as they stood side by side. "However, that's not the issue. The issue is that this Marcus person has said something to convince Eugene that running off was the best way to solve the problem."

"Yeah, Eugene, don't run away. Next time come see me." Flynn stated. "We'll figure something out."

"Ummm, I guess." Eugene didn't appear to be all that enthusiastic about running to his brother every time Marcus said something stupid.

"I have a better idea. Whenever either one of you has a problem, why don't you come see me? Eugene you can show Flynn where I live. That way, you won't have to worry about Marcus – you will always be able to go somewhere safe. OK?"

Flynn and Eugene seemed to think about the Duke's suggestion. And, once again, returned to their twin communication.

 _He's a really cool guy, Flynn. It would give us a chance to get away for a while whenever Marcus gets too annoying._

 _Are you sure, Eugene? I mean you just met him._

 _Yeah, but he was really nice and all. Said he wished he had a little boy like me. So what do you say? Should we?_

 _I guess that would be ok, Eugene. Let's see how it goes, ok?_

 _Awesome, I knew you would like him Flynn._

After a few minutes of deliberation, Flynn and Eugene turned back to the Duke and stated calmly, "Thank you for your kind offer, sir. We would be happy to visit you whenever being here gets too bad."

"Ok, boys. Then I will look forward to seeing you in the future. Now I must be going. I have a million things to do today. Goodbye, Eugene, Flynn."

Over the next two months, the twins visited the Duke often. Eventually, the Duke advised the twins that once he had things figured out, he would like to adopt them. Eugene and Flynn were all for this idea, but they weren't given any idea how long it would take the Duke to get his affairs in order so they could go home with him for good.

A few days later, the twins were once again called to the headmistress's office for a visitor. Once the twins were alone with the Captain of the Guard, he told them he had come with a sad message.

"Boys, I didn't want you to hear this from anyone else. The queen has become very ill and they do not know if she will live long enough to deliver her child. Currently, the guards are looking for a supposed magic golden flower that will heal her. We are looking all the time, but time is running out to save her." The captain's voice was low, not wanting the headmistress or anyone else at the orphanage to hear the news yet. "If the queen does not improve, or the flower isn't found soon, they will announce it to the entire kingdom to see if that helps to locate the flower."

"They gotta find that flower, Captain. They just gotta. The queen can't die." Eugene was heartbroken at the idea.

"Captain, will you let us know if the flower is found? We want to know if something happens – before the rest of the kingdom does." Flynn questioned.

"Absolutely, boys. I would be happy to let you know. Hopefully, the flower is found quickly and I can let you know that the queen is much better. Now, I have to get going. We still have a flower to find."

"Bye, Captain. See you later." Eugene and Flynn chorused.

 _So, Flynn, do you think maybe we could go look for the magic golden flower?_

 _Sure, Eugene. We can look when we go to visit the Duke again._

Although, the twins tried to locate the flower, they were unsuccessful. Eventually, though, the guards had been able to locate the magic golden flower. It had taken them a full month, but they had indeed located it. Once they located and harvested the flower, the kingdom's healer was asked to come and prepare the flower for the queen for maximum benefit. Once the tea was prepared, and the queen had consumed it, the kingdom appeared to hold their collective breaths. Slowly, the queen began to improve.

A week after the queen drank the tea from the golden flower, she went into labor. The healer was once again called upon to assist with the delivery. That afternoon, the princess was born. The king and queen were proud to name her - Rapunzel. A few minutes later, just as the healer finished cleaning up the new princess, the queen's labor pains began again. Soon after, a second princess – Arabelle was born.

The king and queen were proud parents of baby twin girls. The announcement was made to the entire kingdom and in celebration, two lanterns, one for each of the princesses, was released by the king and queen.

Unbeknownst to them, however, the flower that had healed the queen had been hidden by an old woman that had been using the flower to keep herself young. When she realized that the flower had been taken and used to heal the queen, she was enraged. How else was she to keep her youthful appearance? So she began to plot how she could still utilize the benefits of the magic flower.

That night, after the king and queen had gone to bed, the old woman snuck into the palace nursery and ran to the first crib, which held the older of the twins – Rapunzel. The old woman began to sing a simple song as she raised a lock of Rapunzel's hair to cut off. The words she sang were:

 _Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine, Make the clock re-_

As she snipped the lock of hair, it turned brown. She never finished her healing song. Before she could decide what else to do, she heard a noise. Someone was coming. Quickly, she gathered Rapunzel up and fled the palace.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The kingdom searched and searched for quite some time but to no avail. As strong as the king and queen tried to be for their people, even they couldn't help breaking down in private. They vowed to do everything as humanly possible to make sure they would not lose Arabelle as well.

The queen was also determined to find someone suitable enough to help care for her little girl. Although she was looking for someone to do that before, after what happened to Rapunzel she did what she could to speed up the process. Many came in for the position but unfortunately, they weren't quite what she was looking for.

After a few months had passed, she had finally found not only someone to care for her baby but also a new friend. Apparently, she too had lost not one but both of her children.

It was just after Arabelle turned two that the queen took her with her when she visited the orphanage. As usual, the queen was gracious and spent time with all the children at the orphanage. It was only after she finished reading a story to the youngest group, that she went in search of the orphanage director and the boys. When the four were finally alone in the headmistress's office, the queen introduced Arabelle to Flynn and Eugene.

"Flynn, Eugene, this is my daughter, Princess Arabelle. Arabelle, this is Flynn and Eugene. They lost their mother a few years ago and have been here at the orphanage ever since. I met them right before they came here, so I come back and check on them sometimes."

"Fin and Gene, Mama?" Arabelle asked.

"Yes, Arabelle. Flynn and Eugene."

"Hi Arabelle," Eugene responded. "You're so cute. Would you like me to read you a story?"

"Story? Wead me story?" Arabelle caught on quickly.

"Hi, Arabelle." Flynn's hello was short.

"Hi, Fin" Arabelle responded. "You wead me story too?"

"How about I tell you a story instead? Would you like that?" Flynn asked.

"Before you go off boys, I will be coming to visit once a month now. We can talk more later. I am going to talk to Miss Anne now. You be good for the boys, Arabelle."

Thirty minutes later, the boys returned with Arabelle. They said goodbye to the queen and waved to Arabelle. Turning away after watching the royals leave, Eugene was quiet.

 _Flynn, I still miss Mom. I don't think she is really gone. I just can't believe it._

 _Eugene, we've been through this. Mom is gone. If she wasn't, she would have found us by now._

 _I know, I wish we could be adopted. I remember Charles. The man who brought me back to the orphanage said he would adopt both of us once he got things in order._

 _Yeah but that was a long time ago, Eugene. Don't be surprised if he doesn't show up. He's probably forgotten all about us. When was the last time you saw him? Two or three years ago?_

 _You're probably right. Oh well. It was nice to see Queen Adelaide again and Princess Arabelle was cute._

 _Yes, it was and she was not just cute, she was adorable. Come on, let's go back to our room and finish our chores._

5 years went by and, to Arabelle, it seemed that all the kingdom cared about was Rapunzel returning home safe and sound. She never really heard people talk about her unless it was in comparison to Rapunzel.

Well actually that wasn't entirely true. She could still talk to the twins at the orphanage without any mention of her sister. They always treated her as her own person not as an extension of her missing sister or even just a princess. But even so, she felt invisible to the kingdom unless she was making an official appearance as the princess.

Arabelle often thought of Flynn and Eugene and how they were getting on at the orphanage. _Speaking of the twins, I should go visit them at the orphanage tomorrow. I haven't seen them in a while._ Arabelle thought to herself.

Charles was working hard to finish all the final preparations to bring the boys home. If only he hadn't gotten so caught up in his work or been "helped" by some of his so called "friends". They didn't care about the fact that he was going to adopt the twins. They just thought he was making some big mistake going through with it when he mentioned this to them before. _I'm almost done with what I need to get done before I can bring the boys home. Maybe I should go visit them tomorrow so they don't think I have forgotten about my promise to adopt them._

Meanwhile, back at the orphanage, things had gone from bad to worse for Flynn and Eugene. Marcus had begun to find ways to separate the twins during time for chores. Knowing that Miss Anne had asked him to watch out for the twins, he figured it gave him the right to assign his chores to them.

"Flynn, you can clean up this room and go help do the dishes in the kitchen. Eugene you can make up my bed and wash my clothes. And don't forget you still have to do your chores too. Hurry up Flynn, get going on cleaning the room. Eugene, grab my clothes and dirty sheets and follow me. I will show you where to wash them."

Following Marcus, Eugene was apprehensive. Even though the twins were 13, they were still smaller than Marcus. Marcus at 15 was beginning to look like a man. Not that he acted like one, but he was becoming one physically.

"Now Eugene, here is the spot in the lake that most people do the laundry. Make sure you get the clothes really clean this time, not like last time. While you do that, I am going to go supervise Flynn. I know if I don't keep a really close eye on the both of you, you don't do ANYTHING right. Don't screw it up this time. I will see you back in my room when you're done washing the clothes."

Muttering to himself as he left, Marcus made sure Eugene could hear him. "He screws everything up. Flynn has to be so tired of having to fix his screw-ups. I can't believe he hasn't gotten mad at Eugene yet."

Eugene was crushed. _Was Marcus right? Does Flynn resent having to fix the stuff I mess up on? I hope not. I know I have made more mistakes lately. I just get so nervous when Marcus is around._

Back in his room almost an hour later, Marcus was laying into Flynn.

"Really Flynn, I overheard Eugene saying he deliberately screws up so he doesn't have to do as much. Just so you have to do it for him. Don't you get sick of having to fix all the problems your screw up brother causes?"

"Why would I be sick of helping? I know my brother. He wouldn't screw up on purpose. Just because he isn't as good at things doesn't mean anything. He's a great brother. What do you expect me to say? That I hate my brother and wish he wasn't here?"

"Flynn, you know he just screws up everything. We would all be better off without him. Even you."

"That's what you think. Eugene is kind hearted. He wouldn't deliberately make me do things for him."

"Just think about it, Flynn. Not having to spend all day fixing things your dumb brother messes up. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"EUGENE IS NOT DUMB!"

"Maybe not, but he is a screw-up. He never does anything right."

"Gee, Marcus, It sounds more like you're jealous of the relationship I have with my brother, not trying to help me."

"I'm definitely not jealous, but whatever. It's your time to waste I guess."

With that, Marcus stormed out of the room, leaving Flynn to finish cleaning up. Unbeknownst to either Flynn or Marcus, Eugene had caught part of their argument. He realized that maybe Flynn really was sick of him. He had overheard him tell Marcus that he hated his brother and wished he wasn't here. Unable to listen to anymore of the conversation, Eugene quickly ran to the barn to sit with the horses.

 _Tonight,_ Eugene thought, _I am going to leave. Then maybe Flynn can finally be happy. I'll wait until he is asleep and disappear._ With that thought, Eugene went back inside and back to the room to report back to Marcus.

Later that night, Eugene managed to sneak some food from the kitchen that he could eat while traveling. He put the food up in the barn, where no one would find it, then headed back to the room. Flynn was sitting on his bed talking to some of his friends. Rather than listen in or join them, Eugene said goodnight and laid down to get some rest before he left the orphanage. _And I'm never coming back here._

After what seemed like hours, Flynn's friends left and Flynn went to bed. Marcus had already fallen asleep after telling Flynn and his friends that their stupid conversation was BORING. Soon, Eugene was asleep as well.

Eugene had slept a little but was wide awake when Flynn finally fell asleep. _Good, everybody's asleep. Time to leave._ Eugene thought to himself. Quietly, he snuck out of bed, grabbed the small bundle of clothes he had put away and headed to the kitchen to grab an apple on his way. Soon he had grabbed the food he had hidden and was heading out, away from the town and into the surrounding forest.

A few hours later, Flynn woke up disoriented. He wasn't sure what woke him up but something didn't feel right. _Maybe it would be better if I just talk to Eugene. Now is probably the only time I can talk to him without Marcus interrupting._ With that, Flynn hopped off the bed and looked at Eugene's bed, only to find it empty. _I wonder where Eugene is. Wait, what's this? A note?_

Picking it up, Flynn lit a candle to read what Eugene had written.

Flynn,

Sorry about everything. I wish I was a better brother. I just can't do anything right, so I have decided to leave so you can be happy. I know it's my fault you haven't been adopted because I screw everything up. I hate that I have caused you to work twice as hard just to fix my mistakes. Don't bother to look for me, it'll be better if I just disappear. I wish it didn't have to be this way, but it does. I'm sorry. I love you.

Eugene

Flynn swore. _Why didn't Eugene just talk to me? I could have told him the truth. I have to find him._ Hurriedly, Flynn gathered some clothes and headed to the kitchen to grab himself some food for his journey.

The next morning, Marcus awoke to find both boys were already up. Wondering where they had disappeared to so early, Marcus shrugged and headed down to breakfast. Surprisingly enough, the boys weren't in the dining hall. _Good, maybe I won't have to listen to those brats again._

When Charles arrived at the orphanage, later that morning, the boys were nowhere to be found.

"What do you mean you don't know where they are?" he snapped at Miss Anne.

"Just that, I don't know. Look, I'm sorry. All I know is that their roommate told me they left sometime last night."

At that, Charles had lost it. "THEY DID WHAT? HOW COULD YOU BE CARELESS AS TO NOT NOTICE THAT NOT ONE BUT _TWO_ TEENAGE BOYS UNDER _YOUR_ CARE LEFT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT UNTIL ONE OF THE OTHERS CAME AND TOLD YOU?"

"Are you saying that I'm not competent enough to run this orphanage?"

A voice from the other side of the door called out, "Headmistress Anne, Captain Henry is here to speak with you."

"Let him in." Miss Anne said exasperatedly.

"Thank you." he said as the door closed again. "Now what's this I hear about two boys disappearing on your watch?"

"Well, you see, Captain, from what I heard from their roommate, they left last night. No one has seen or heard from them since."

"And who were they?" he asked dreading the answer.

"Flynn and Eugene."


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The room was so silent for the next few minutes that you could have heard a pin drop. After a few minutes of silence, the room burst into a cacophony of voices.

"Where are they?"

"When did they leave?"

"How did they manage to get away without anyone seeing them?"

Miss Anne was at a loss as to which question to attempt to answer first. She had a feeling that her job as headmistress would depend on how she responded.

"Well, uh…" she started.

"What do you have to say for yourself, Anne?" The captain asked quietly. "You knew those two were under the care and protection of the king and queen. Do you have any idea of the ordeal that they have already gone through under your so called watchful eye?"

Miss Anne gulped. "Well, uh, you see. I assigned one of the older boys to watch over them and help them get acclimated to the orphanage."

"That would be the useless roommate that bullied and abused them and attempted to make them do all of HIS work? Because we all know how well he watched them for you. Shouldn't YOU have been the one to realize what was going on? Instead, I ended up finding out when I came to visit. Not only did the boys have bruises from previous skirmishes, but I caught your helpful older boy, yelling and verbally abusing both of the twins while I was there. What kind of person lets someone who was entrusted to them, get abused so badly?"

"I-I-I really don't know what you're talking about. I did the best I could to take care of them."

"Anne, if that was the best you could do, then perhaps you aren't the best person for this job. Captain, do you know of anyone that can take over as the headmistress at least temporarily so we can get rid of this worthless excuse for a person?"

"Your Grace, I believe I have just the person for the job. Now that my son is in training for the guards, my wife is at a bit of a loose end. I think this would be the perfect opportunity for her to see if it is something she would enjoy doing."

"Your – your Grace? You're a Duke?" Anne stuttered. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know."

"And that's supposed to be an excuse for you being so inept? Captain, how long will it be before your wife can take over here?"

"Not long at all. In fact, she should be outside now. She had intended to come spend some time with the boys this morning. Once she takes over, why don't we head to the palace and discuss this with the king and queen. After your report of your travels, Your Grace."

"Henry, what's taking so long? I thought you were going to bring the boys out to see me." His wife's timing was impeccable.

"Ellen, I'm sorry, I was attempting to locate them. Apparently, Anne here let them run off sometime last night."

"Run off? Flynn and Eugene? What? Why?" Ellen was distressed. "But I thought they were happy here."

"Apparently, Anne didn't do such a good job of watching over them. We were just discussing the possibility of having you take over the orphanage, Ellen. Do you think you would be able to do it?" Charles asked.

"Of course, Your Grace. I would be happy to help out until other arrangements can be made."

"Thank you, Ellen. Would you be willing to take over immediately so your husband and I can make our reports to the king and queen?"

"Yes, of course." Turning to Henry, she added. "I will see you at home this evening."

"Anne, if you would follow me." The captain's questioning words belied the order in his tone.

"Mind if I join you, Captain? I have a few things I would like to say as well." Charles asked. "It's not just Anne's fault. I'm sure at least part of the blame can be laid at this roommate's feet. From what you've said, the roommate never missed an opportunity to bully and abuse them. In fact, I remember multiple times while talking to Eugene, that he was attacked for his stuttering as well as for being different. Not that Eugene or Flynn for that matter, said much, but it was evident that there was abuse happening when it becomes impossible to hide the bruises. If that wasn't bad enough, when I first met him, Eugene flinched when I came near. That is proof enough that he had been abused. I've seen it before."

"You think Marcus – that's the roommate – had something to do with their disappearance, Your Grace?"

"They were still rooming with _MARCUS_? I thought he had been moved to another room, or they had. That is completely unacceptable, Anne. I told you a few months ago, that the abuse was continuing and they would need to be separated. Did you pay any attention to what I asked you to do?"

"Uh…um... I did the best I could, Your Grace. But there weren't any available rooms. Was I supposed to split other kids up just so they didn't have to room with Marcus anymore?"

Anne's answer didn't pacify the duke or the captain. Neither seemed impressed by the situation.

"I'm sure that there is an older boy that can room with Marcus – one that he CAN'T bully. In fact, why don't we leave that to Ellen? I'm sure she can come up with a suitable arrangement that doesn't reward Marcus for his behavior." The captain shamelessly volunteered his wife to sort out the problem. "Meanwhile, let us be off to the palace. Let's see what the king and queen have to say about this."

That night, Flynn caught up with Eugene while scouting out places to sleep.

"Eugene, there you are. I wish you would have come to me. I knew Marcus was up to his old tricks to separate us, but I thought you knew better. You know I would never hurt you."

"Yeah, well. I heard enough of your conversation with Marcus yesterday. You resent me. I guess he was right, you do hate me."

Flynn decided he was done talking – at least verbally.

 _I do NOT hate you. I love you, you're my brother. I can't believe you're gonna let him win._ Flynn eyed his twin. _Haven't you got it through your head that nothing will make me leave you?_

 _I guess you're right, Flynn. But it made sense to me at the time._

 _Eugene, it's ok. At least we're together now. Now what do we have for dinner? Knowing you, you have a ton of stuff you took from the kitchen on your way out._

 _You know me so well. We have hard cheese, some cured sausage and some bread. I even have some berries for dessert._

 _That sounds great. I was so worried last night when I read your note; I didn't even stop to gather food. Let's eat._


End file.
